WFP Executive Director to Visit Lebanon and Syria

BEIRUT – The Executive Director of the World Food Programme (WFP), David Beasley, will make an official visit to Lebanon and Syria. This is the first visit of the newly appointed Executive Director to WFP operations since he assumed office earlier this month.

Beasley will be in Lebanon and Syria from April 30th to May 3rd to meet Syrians affected by the ongoing crisis and to witness the profound humanitarian crisis first-hand. During the visit, Beasley will meet senior government officials and partners to discuss humanitarian operations in both countries, visit sites where WFP provides food and cash assistance, and meet with WFP staff.

Since the early stages of the conflict, WFP has been on the frontlines inside Syria, in Lebanon and across the region delivering life-saving food assistance to millions of people facing poverty and hunger.

In March, WFP delivered food for more than four million people inside Syria. Each month, WFP provides assistance to almost 700,000 of the most vulnerable Syrian refugees in Lebanon through an innovative electronic food voucher (e-card) system. The e-cards can be used to buy food in any of WFP’s 480 contracted shops across the country.

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WFP is the world’s largest humanitarian agency fighting hunger worldwide, delivering food assistance in emergencies and working with communities to improve nutrition and build resilience. Each year, WFP assists some 80 million people in around 80 countries.

For more information please contact (email address: firstname.lastname@wfp.org):

Abeer Etefa, WFP/Cairo, Mob. +20 106 663 4352

Dina Elkassaby, WFP/Cairo, Mob. +20 101 521 8882