An International Welcome For Swiss Support In Providing Aid To Refugees And Displaced Persons In Iraq

Baghdad / NINA /- The United Nations World Food Program welcomed a grant of $ 522,500 from the Swiss government to support the food needs for nearly 24,000 refugees and internally displaced persons for a period of one month. According to a statement received by NINA, the program intends to use this grant from the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation to provide cash assistance to approximately 13,400 Iraqis displaced by conflict and 10,400 Syrian refugees. Swiss Ambassador Lucas Gasser said: During the current pandemic, refugees and displaced persons are still among the most vulnerable in Iraq. He added: "Switzerland continues its extended partnership with the World Food Program, as we work together to support displaced Iraqis and families of Syrian refugees to overcome this difficult period of increasing needs - especially as many of those affected are still unable to work. Because of the increased needs caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, WFP is expanding its assistance in Iraq to a total of 76,000 refugees and 280,000 internally displaced people. "The World Food Program expresses its continued gratitude for the continued support provided by the government and people of Switzerland, especially at this difficult time," said Abdul Rahman Megaj, Representative of the World Food Program in Iraq. He added: Many of the internally displaced and refugee families were close to achieving some self-sufficiency in securing their food needs before the outbreak of the Coronavirus. But today, many of them have lost their jobs, and daily and seasonal workers are among the worst affected. As part of ongoing efforts to mitigate the repercussions of the emerging Coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic, WFP is taking a lead role in using cashless payment in camps, so that beneficiaries can purchase food safely without the need for "direct interaction". This reduces the need to use paper money on the one hand, and helps avoid beneficiaries' need to leave the camp and move around too much on the other hand. The World Food Program and its partners continue to organize awareness-raising sessions on precautionary measures taken to respond to the pandemic, and WFP and its partners will initiate emergency livelihood projects as soon as conditions are safe, to help those affected to work again so that they can secure their food needs. The United Nations World Food Program is the world's largest humanitarian organization concerned with saving lives in emergencies, building prosperity, and supporting a sustainable future for societies recovering from conflict, disasters, and the impact of climate change. / End