MADRID – The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) welcomes Spain’s 4.1 million euros in contributions made over the past year to support food assistance to vulnerable populations and fund logistics for the delivery of humanitarian assistance in several areas. While the Sahel, Palestine and the Sahrawi refugees in Algeria remain the focus of Spanish support, Spain also contributed to WFP operations in Northeast Nigeria for the first time.

“We are grateful for the consistent support from the government of Spain and its people” said Chris Kaye, WFP Director of Government Partnerships. “We particularly welcome Spain’s contribution to our work transitioning from humanitarian emergencies to longer term development, and the steady support for populations in protracted crises.”

Spain remains particularly committed to supporting the Sahrawi refugees in Algeria. In 2018, the Spanish Agency for International Cooperation (AECID) contributed 1.3 million euros to sustain the monthly food distributions that WFP has been providing to the refugees in Tindouf since 1986. Ten Spanish regions contributed an additional 500,000 euros through a pooled fund, coordinated by AECID.

Spain’s donations also continue to support the Sahel, a region of great concern for WFP, where conflict, insecurity, and drought have pushed millions into food insecurity. Vulnerable Malian populations receive food assistance and nutrition support thanks to Spanish contributions both inside Mali (400,000 euros) and in neighbouring Mauritania (300,000 euros), where WFP assists Malian refugees.

An additional 500,000 euros of new funding for Mali will provide support for innovation in nutrition, helping strengthen local economies and working with the private sector to develop affordable food products fortified with vitamins and minerals that are expected to reduce malnutrition rates in the country.

In North-East Nigeria, an area facing a major humanitarian emergency, AECID for the first time has contributed 500,000 euros to deliver cash transfers to 31,000 people who are internally displaced in Borno State.

Spain continued to provide an important source of support for Palestinians in Gaza, where WFP facilitates food assistance to non-refugee populations. A contribution of 300,000 euros will enable 24,000 people to purchase food in local markets using WFP vouchers.

Spain is a regular donor to WFP’s logistics services for the wider humanitarian community. In 2018, AECID supported the operations of the Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS) in Mali, Mauritania and Niger, providing 100,000 euros of support for each country. UNHAS facilitates access to remote locations for staff from the United Nations, NGOs and other partners involved in humanitarian and development work.

“For years the World Food Programme has been a strategic humanitarian partner,” said Juan Pablo de Laiglesia, Spain’s State Secretary for International Cooperation and for Ibero-America and the Caribbean. “We are currently working together in areas such as the Sahel, Palestine and the Saharawi refugee camps. We hope in this way that our relationship and cooperation remains strong and lasting.”

The funding to WFP has been provided through AECID, which channels contributions from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation, and the regions of Asturias, Baleares, Canarias, Cantabria, Castilla-León, Comunidad Valenciana, Galicia, La Rioja, Madrid and Murcia, through an agreement involving also the Spanish Federation of Municipalities and Provinces (FEMP).

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Contact

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

Lucía Fernández, WFP/Madrid, Mób. +34 672 068 169