WFP Urges Joint Efforts To Secure Foods For Poor Cambodians

(Posted by CAAI News Media)

PHNOM PENH, Oct 16 (Bernama) -- The United Nations food agency World Food Program (WFP) in Cambodia issued a statement Friday urging all stakeholders to take more joint efforts to secure food for poor Cambodians, China's Xinhua news agency reported.

"Achieving food security remains a daunting challenge for hundreds of thousands of poor and vulnerable Cambodians," said Jean Pierre de Margerie, WFP's country representative.

He noted that the high food price crisis and global economic crisis have exacerbated the level of vulnerability in Cambodia, notably, in areas hard hit by natural disasters such as Typhoon Ketsana.

"Well and joint coordinated efforts between all stakeholders is the best way in achieving lasting and sustainable food security in Cambodia," he said.

Despite progress made in recent years, Cambodia is still considered as having an alarming high level of hunger and is among the 36 countries with the highest burden of child undernutrition in the world.

The WFP said in 2008, it assisted nearly one million of the poorest and most food insecure people in the country.

The WFP is the world's largest humanitarian agency fighting hunger worldwide.

In 2009, the WFP aims to feed 108 million people in 74 countries.

Since 1979 the WFP has been working closely with the Royal Government of Cambodia, sister agencies in the UN and NGO partners to reduce hunger and malnutrition in Cambodia.

The overall goal of WFP's work in Cambodia is to improve food security among the hungry poor through programmes addressing education, health and nutrition, livelihood development and the building of resilience to natural disasters and shocks.

-- BERNAMA