WFP Executive Director to visit United Arab Emirates

During the visit, Sheeran will meet Her Royal Highness Princess Haya Bint Al Hussein of Jordan, wife of His Royal Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates, and Ruler of Dubai. The meeting will be an opportunity for Sheeran to express WFP's appreciation of the role Princess Haya has played in support of the United Nations, and the support Dubai has given in hosting a WFP office and a UN Humanitarian Response Depot.

While attending the 'Summit on the Global Agenda,' in Dubai, Sheeran will take part in interactive workshops and sessions designed to set priorities for the most pressing global challenges. The discussions in Dubai are likely to inform the debate on the global food crisis at the upcoming World Economic Forum annual meeting in Davos in January 2009.

The WFP Field & Emergency Support Office (FESO) in Dubai was set up in 2001 as a temporary contingency base for the Central Asian humanitarian emergency. Since then, the office has grown into one of the world's largest humanitarian centres for providing rapid and cost-effective administrative support to emergencies both natural and man-made.

WFP is the world's largest humanitarian agency and the UN's frontline agency for hunger solutions. This year, WFP plans to feed 90 million people in 80 countries.