Kuwait provides significant support to WFP’s fight against famine in Yemen

The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) welcomes a new donation of US$50 million from the State of Kuwait for emergency food assistance in Yemen. The funds will be used to reach more than 2.5 million people over two months with wheat flour and oil through both direct distributions and WFP food assistance cards at retail outlets.

“This contribution reflects the generosity of the people and the Government of Kuwait. Under the leadership of His Highness the Emir of the State of Kuwait, Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmed Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Kuwait has again stepped up its support to WFP to help us reach vulnerable families in Yemen,” said Director of WFP in the UAE and Representative to the GCC region Mageed Yahia.  

Permanent Representative of Kuwait to the United Nations in New York, Ambassador Mansour Al-Otaibi, recently announced the country’s major donation to WFP.

More than three years of conflict have pushed Yemen to the brink of famine; nearly 18 million people do not know where their next meal is coming from and more than eight million of them live in extreme hunger and depend entirely on external food assistance. 

“This significant contribution from the Government of Kuwait could not be more timely, particularly given that the needs of Yemeni people are increasing,” said WFP Yemen Country Director Stephen Anderson. “This generous support from Kuwait will enable WFP to continue delivering food assistance to Yemeni people who need it most; no one should be left without food or the means to get it.”

When one child dies every ten minutes in Yemen from preventable diseases, the key to saving lives is ending the fighting and ending hunger. As conflict continues in Yemen, more people are in danger of falling victim to hunger and disease. Yemen is currently the world’s largest humanitarian crisis; 22 million people out of the country’s 29 million need some form of humanitarian assistance. 

Kuwait is a major supporter of WFP’s humanitarian and development assistance worldwide. In the last decade, Kuwait has contributed nearly US$190 million to WFP operations internationally, helping to make significant steps towards alleviating hunger for some of the world’s most vulnerable people. 

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The United Nations World Food Programme - saving lives in emergencies and changing lives for millions through sustainable development. WFP works in more than 80 countries around the world, feeding people caught in conflict and disasters, and laying the foundations for a better future.

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