Skip to main content

European Union helps WFP reach conflict-affected families in Syria

Countries
Syria
Sources
WFP
Publication date

DAMASCUS – The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has welcomed a new contribution of EUR 8 million from the European Union (EU). The funds will enable WFP to continue its lifesaving food assistance operations in Syria.

“The consistent support of the European Union makes it possible for WFP to continue to reach millions of vulnerable people affected by the Syria crisis with lifesaving assistance,” said David Beasley, Executive Director of the World Food Programme. “Steady funding from the EU saves lives and changes lives in Syria.”

The EU is one of WFP’s top five donors in Syria, contributing a total of EUR 202 million since the start of the conflict in 2011. Every month, WFP reaches more than three million people across Syria’s 14 governorates.

“The European Union is committed to assist all those affected by the Syria crisis,” says Christos Stylianides, the European Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management. “We stand committed with our partner WFP to help ease the burden for the millions of people in Syria who every day struggle to find enough to eat.”

Families in need receive food that is sufficient for five people for one month. The food packages include rice, lentils, bulgur wheat, vegetable oil, sugar and salt in addition to bread baked in local bakeries using WFP wheat flour. Newly displaced people with no access to cooking facilities receive parcels of ready-to-eat canned food.

Continued support from donors like the EU remains vital for millions of families as well as for stability and security in Syria.

# # #

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.

Follow us on Twitter @wfp_syria, @wfp_mena, @wfp_media

For more information please contact (email address: firstname.lastname@wfp.org)

Abeer Etefa, WFP/Cairo, Mob. +20 106 663 4352
Shaza Shefkeh, WFP/Damascus, Mob. +963950022312
Aneta Szczyglowska, WFP/Brussels, Tel. +32(0)25000913
Jane Howard, WFP/Rome, Tel. +39 06 6513 2321, Mob. +39 346 7600521
Herve Verhoosel, WFP/Geneva, Mob. +41 798428057
Steve Taravella, WFP/New York, Tel. +1-646-556-6909, Mob. +1-202-770-5993