The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has welcomed a contribution of US$700,000 from the Government of Japan that will provide vital food assistance to tens of thousands of Libyans affected by ongoing conflict since 2011.
“As we speak, over one million people are suffering from displacement and major food shortages in Libya,” said WFP Libya Country Director Wagdi Othman. “This timely contribution from Japan is a vital step towards easing the increasingly worsening food shortages affecting too many families.”
WFP will use the donation to deliver food rations to 80,000 people in Libya. Each ration provides a family of five with a one month supply of rice, pasta, wheat flour, chickpeas, vegetable oil, sugar and tomato paste.
In 2017, WFP aims to assist 175,000 Libyans affected by food insecurity due to the protracted conflict. Priority is given to the most vulnerable families, especially internally displaced people, returnees and refugees, as well as households headed by unemployed women.
“We thank Japan for this contribution, which is the first of its kind to WFP in Libya, and hope to further our cooperation to support these life-saving efforts,” added Othman.
The humanitarian situation in Libya continues to deteriorate as a result of ongoing conflict, political instability and disruption of markets and local food production, all of which negatively affect families’ livelihoods and their ability to meet basic needs, including food. People have been resorting to extreme measures such as skipping meals, taking children out of school, or cutting healthcare expenses.
WFP urgently requires US$8.5 million to continue to provide food assistance in Libya for the next six months. While political instability and insecurity challenge WFP operations in Libya, the greatest obstacle remains the lack of funding.
In February, the Government of Japan contributed US$85.2 million to WFP, which will be used to provide vital food and nutrition assistance to 33 countries across Africa, Asia and the Middle East.
