WFP looks back at 2005

cctv.com 12-30-2005 13:01

The United Nations World Food Program has looked back on its work during the past year. 2005 has been a tough year -- having to deal with some of the worst natural disasters on record. The world's largest humanitarian agency has performed well during these crisis situations, including responding to the Indian Ocean tsunami. But many of their programs are still under-funded.

The Indian Ocean tsunami, the drought in Niger, hurricanes, the earthquake in Pakistan -- these are just some of the emergencies that the WFP has had to face during the past year.

WFP says 2005 probably witnessed the largest number of emergencies in one year since World War II.

But in contrast to the overwhelming response to the tsunami, many WFP operations remain dangerously under-funded.

Sheila Sisulu, Deputy Director, WFP, said, "With Niger we had been saying there was a problem, for a long time, but it wasn't until, unfortunately, until the pictures of starving dying children were shown on television that the international community and donor world began to respond, which is unfortunate."

And in the case of the earthquake in Pakistan, the WFP has still received only a third of the resources it needs. The WFP says one reason is the timing. The Pakistani earthquake came at the end of the financial year for many donor countries, when the donor coffers were almost empty.

Meanwhile, Pakistan's Federal Relief Commissioner, General Farooq, acknowledges that some UN agencies are short of funds. But he also said if the funds were acquired, the situation would be much easier to manage.

Each year, the WFP gives food to about 90 million poor people, including 61 million children, in at least 80 of the world's poorest countries.

Editor:Chen Zhuo  Source:CCTV.com