World Food ProgramThe World Food Program (WFP) is an agency of the United Nations which distributes food commodities to support development projects, to long-term refugees and displaced persons, and as emergency food assistance in situations of natural and man-made disasters. Its headquarters is in Rome, Italy. Development projects now constitute less than 20% of WFP programs, as emergency and protracted refugee situations result in increasing demands for WFP programs and resources. WFP operates exclusively on contributions of commodities and money donated by governments. In 2000 3.5 million tons of food aid was distributed to 80 countries by the WFP at a cost of US$1.7 billion. Of this 93% came from 12 donors:
The UN recommends that countries donate 0.7% of their GNP to the WFP. Only Denmark, Netherlands, Sweden and Norway achieve this level of donation. On 12 July 2004, Chancellor Brown committed the United Kingdom (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/3887877.stm) to achieving this by between 2009 and 2013. Of the major industrialised nations, the US gives the lowest proportion of their GNP to the WFP, but the largest amount. In 2003, the World Food Programme, and in particular US Aid, were criticised by the government of Zambia who have alleged [1] (http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbcfour/listings/programme.shtml?day=yesterday&filename=20040913/20040913_2330_4544_25750_50) that the United States has used food aid to introduce Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) throughout the world, so that the European Union, where there is little market for GMOs, can be persuaded to adopt them. See alsoExternal links
de:Welternährungsprogramm der Vereinten Nationen fr:Programme alimentaire mondial Categories: United Nations specialized agencies |
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