WFP welcomes Malaysia's Ramadan contribution for Lebanon

The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) today welcomed a donation from the Government of Malaysia of US$250,000 for food assistance for the people of Lebanon. WFP has reached more than 700,000 people affected by the conflict in Lebanon and Syria and distributed 10,744 metric tons of food since the start of its emergency operation in July.

While there are encouraging signs of recovery, WFP strives to support vulnerable population groups who are facing continuing hardship. Until the end of operations scheduled for later this month, WFP will continue distributing 6,800 loaves of bread on a daily basis to the four municipalities of the southern suburbs in Beirut.

'We are extremely grateful for this generous humanitarian gesture from the Government of Malaysia to help the people of Lebanon at the end of the most blessed month of the Islamic year,' said WFP's Executive Director, James Morris. 'In a world where millions of people are in need of assistance, we welcome this important contribution. Malaysia is a leader among the world's growing economies now increasing their contributions to WFP.'

Malaysia is stepping up its support for humanitarian causes by contributing to the establishment of a United Nations Humanitarian Response Depot (UNHRD) at the military airport of Subang, Malaysia. This facility will be integrated into a network of UNHRDs including other strategic hubs in Brindisi (Italy), Dubai (UAE), Accra (Ghana) and Panama City (Panama).

The Network is designed to meet the escalating challenges of sudden humanitarian emergencies that can occur at the same time in different parts of the world. While regionally focused, the UNHRD facility in Malaysia will have a global scope and will greatly augment the international humanitarian community's ability to respond to emergencies worldwide more quickly and effectively.