Germany provides the World Food Programme in Egypt, within the framework of “One World Free of Hunger” initiative, an additional €20m, bringing the volume of its contribution to the programme to a total amount of €110m, thus Germany becomes the largest contributor to the World Food Programme in Egypt at the bilateral level . Allocating this amount aims to provide food security for the most vulnerable segments of population and enhance their ability to resist the current crises, according to a press release on Tuesday.
German ambassador to Egypt Frank Hartmann stated: “We are all witnessing not only the effects of climate change, but also the consequences of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine. The Russians’ use of food as a weapon has exacerbated hunger globally. We stand here in Egypt on the side of all those who are now grappling with the aftermath. Such shocks often strike those who live on subsistence the most. We must not forget them, and so it is my pleasure to send a powerful message with our contributions, and that we can stand shoulder to shoulder with many people in Egypt with our partners in the World Food Programme.”
The statement said that Germany has for decades been involved in efforts to achieve universal food security and to enforce the human right to adequate food. The fight against undernutrition and malnutrition is one of the axes of German humanitarian aid and development cooperation, an axis that has clearly regained importance in view of the challenges that have recently imposed themselves on the global level. This is where short-term food aid and sustainable food security improvement programmes come in.
The German contribution to the World Food Programme in Egypt consists of several different components, the German multi-year strategy towards some countries focuses on strengthening national capacities to address the causes of food insecurity and at the same time meet humanitarian needs. In addition, more German contributions are earmarked for specific or category-specific projects, for example the contributions made within the framework of the “One World Free of Hunger” initiative, according to the press release.
The German Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development is the party that launched this initiative, which is implementing it through its executive institutions such as the German Development Bank and the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ), with its more than 300 projects in different countries, including Egypt. These projects target structural causes of hunger and poverty and seek to raise level of well-being, especially in rural areas, the press release concluded.
