UN: FOOD INSECURITY AND CONFLICT ACCELERATING GLOBAL MIGRATION

Date Posted : 10 May 2017  BAR ELIAS, LEBANON – Food insecurity and conflict are leading a record-high number of people to flee their homes across the world, the United Nations food agency said. A new study by the World Food Programme (WFP) established a link between the shortage of food and displacement. Each percentage…

In Lebanon and Syria, UN emergency food chief appeals for humanitarian access

Date Published : 4 May 2017 The head of the United Nations emergency food relief agency today appealed for “regular, unimpeded and sustained” humanitarian access during meetings with senior government officials and partners in Lebanon and Syria – his first official visit since assuming office. David Beasley, the Executive Director of the UN World Food…

Aoun calls for more food aid for refugees

Date Published : 4 May 2017 BEIRUT: During a meeting with the new executive director of the World Food Program Wednesday, President Michel Aoun called for an increase in food aid for refugees in Lebanon. Original Link : http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Lebanon-News/2017/May-04/404417-aoun-calls-for-more-food-aid-for-refugees.ashx    

Direct Cash, Is This The Future Of Humanitarian Aid?

Date Posted : 4 April 2017   BEKAA VALLEY — Across this stretch of eastern Lebanon, some 360,000 Syrian refugees have been living in muddy informal settlements scattered across villages. Whether crammed into flats or stuffed into tents, they are part of the one million Syrians who now live in Lebanon. Although they registered with…

Using big data to analyse WFP’s digital cash programme in Lebanon

Date Posted : 20 February 2017 Humanitarian programmes have recently started to shift from delivering in-kind aid – such as food, clothes and tents – to cash-based assistance. According to the New York Times, before 2015, 99% of the world’s humanitarian assistance came in the form of goods. By last year, that number had decreased…

Phones are now indispensable for refugees

Date Posted : 10 February 2017 SOMETIMES Hekmatullah, a 32-year-old Afghan, has to choose between food and connectivity. “I need to stay in touch with my wife back home,” he says, sitting in a grubby tent in the Oinofyta migrant camp, near Athens. Because Wi-Fi rarely works there, he has to buy mobile-phone credit. And…

World Food Programme honours mastercard as a “Hunger Hero”

Date Posted : 26 January 2017     The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has honoured Ajay Banga, President and Chief Executive Officer of Mastercard, in recognition of outstanding contributions towards achieving Zero Hunger. The 2017 Hunger Hero Award was presented to him by WFP Executive Director Ertharin Cousin on Tuesday at WFP’s annual…

Syrian refugee children reduced to selling on Beirut’s streets to feed their families

Date Posted : 25 January 2017 Seven-year-old Salma Ismat* weaves between the bar stools trying to sell flowers to the crowds drinking cocktails and beer on Beirut’s Armenia Street. When she’s not scowling at the people who ignore her, the little Syrian girl tries to spell, out loud, the neon name of the bar. She…

WFP’s push for cash-based transfers shows why ‘good data’ at UN Global Data Forum

Date Posted : 20 January 2017   There’s a growing recognition of how providing direct humanitarian assistance in the form of cash or electronic vouchers, instead of physical goods, pays off. It can be cheaper to deliver and also offers people greater freedom to tailor their spending. Since 2011, the World Food Program has dramatically shifted…

Canada contribution a “lifeline of hope” for Syrian refugees in Lebanon

Date Posted: 11 Jaunary 2017   A US$9.8 million contribution from Canada to the World Food Programme (WFP) will benefit more than 310,000 Syrian refugees in Lebanon who are entirely dependant on humanitarian support. WFP Lebanon Deputy Country Director Paul Skoczylas said the donation represents “a lifeline of hope” for refugees during the harsh winter…