As the situation in Lebanon continues to deteriorate, with one in
five Lebanese homeless and hostilities continuing, the United Nations World
Food Programme (WFP) is racing against time to reach the besieged
population in southern Lebanon with food aid.
Early this morning, WFP dispatched urgent relief convoys to two locations
in southern Lebanon, and started a humanitarian cargo airlift from Italy to
the region.
"There are women and children who face a daily threat not only of shelling
and injury, but of having less and less food and water to sustain them. We
have no time to waste in reaching them," warned Amer Daoudi, Emergency
Coordinator for the WFP operation in Lebanon.
Today's convoys are heading to the cities of Sidon and Jezzine, all packed
with stranded people. The 8-truck convoy for Jezzine is carrying 90 metric
tons of WFP wheat flour, 15 tons of canned meat and critical supplies such
blankets and shelter materials from M?decins Sans Fronti?res (MSF). The
10-truck convoy for Sidon is carrying 18 tons of food including six
truckloads from UNRWA for Palestinian refugees in camps. The convoys also
include critical medical and shelter materials being delivered on behalf of
UNDP, UNHCR, UNICEF and WHO.
More convoys are planned for the following days. WFP is working as quickly
as possible to mobilise as many trucks as possible, as well as truck
drivers willing to travel the dangerous roads. Fuel availability and rising
prices are also growing concerns.
Staff who travelled on Wednesday's first UN humanitarian convoy to Tyre
witnessed a stream of deserted villages, and small cities packed with
displaced people who have no money to buy food and water. Those fleeing
were caught in bumper-to-bumper traffic heading north. The city of Tyre
was the site of heavy bombardment on Wednesday, with shells landing in the
vicinity of the just-arrived UN convoy.
"A greater catastrophe is in the making if we don't assist people soon,"
stressed Daoudi.
In addition to the convoys, WFP is starting today a humanitarian cargo
airlift using a dedicated Ilyushin-76 aircraft. The first delivery from the
UN humanitarian depot in Brindisi includes 20 temporary warehouses and five
generators for WFP. The aircraft will land in the Syrian town of Latakkia,
from where supplies will be transported overland to Al-Arida, a Syrian
border post that is WFP's loading hub for all UN humanitarian supplies to
be transported by road into Lebanon on UN-escorted convoys. Another flight
is planned for tomorrow.
WFP is the lead UN agency for the logistics of transporting humanitarian
aid to and within Lebanon. WFP is appealing for US$48 million for logistics
and food, with a particularly need for cash contributions. The value of the
special logistics operation alone is US$38 million. WFP plans to discharge
up to 12,000 metric tons of food and non-food relief items per month and to
provide a common UN trucking fleet to UN agencies, international and
non-governmental organizations.
Against its appeal, the first contributions made to WFP are 90 MT of wheat
flour from the Government of Lebanon and US$ 635,000 from Spain. Many
governments have given strong indications of commitments to WFP's operation
including Australia, Belgium, Denmark, the European Commission, Germany,
Italy, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United States.
The conflict has left at least 800,000 people displaced amidst the wreckage
of damaged infrastructure and a shortage of essential goods and services.
WFP has already begun distributing 25 metric tons of high-energy biscuits
to 95,000 displaced people in and around Beirut.
WFP will give priority to distributing assistance to those most in need,
including 95,000 displaced people seeking shelter in schools and public
institutions in Beirut, 165,000 people in the heaviest-hit areas in
southern Lebanon and 50,000 of the approximately 140,000 people in Syria
who have fled the conflict.
WFP is the world's largest humanitarian agency: each year, we give food to
an average of 90 million poor people to meet their nutritional needs,
including 58 million hungry children, in at least 80 of the world's poorest
countries. WFP -- We Feed People.
WFP now has a dedicated ISDN line in Italy for quality two-way interviews
with WFP officials.
five Lebanese homeless and hostilities continuing, the United Nations World
Food Programme (WFP) is racing against time to reach the besieged
population in southern Lebanon with food aid.
Early this morning, WFP dispatched urgent relief convoys to two locations
in southern Lebanon, and started a humanitarian cargo airlift from Italy to
the region.
"There are women and children who face a daily threat not only of shelling
and injury, but of having less and less food and water to sustain them. We
have no time to waste in reaching them," warned Amer Daoudi, Emergency
Coordinator for the WFP operation in Lebanon.
Today's convoys are heading to the cities of Sidon and Jezzine, all packed
with stranded people. The 8-truck convoy for Jezzine is carrying 90 metric
tons of WFP wheat flour, 15 tons of canned meat and critical supplies such
blankets and shelter materials from M?decins Sans Fronti?res (MSF). The
10-truck convoy for Sidon is carrying 18 tons of food including six
truckloads from UNRWA for Palestinian refugees in camps. The convoys also
include critical medical and shelter materials being delivered on behalf of
UNDP, UNHCR, UNICEF and WHO.
More convoys are planned for the following days. WFP is working as quickly
as possible to mobilise as many trucks as possible, as well as truck
drivers willing to travel the dangerous roads. Fuel availability and rising
prices are also growing concerns.
Staff who travelled on Wednesday's first UN humanitarian convoy to Tyre
witnessed a stream of deserted villages, and small cities packed with
displaced people who have no money to buy food and water. Those fleeing
were caught in bumper-to-bumper traffic heading north. The city of Tyre
was the site of heavy bombardment on Wednesday, with shells landing in the
vicinity of the just-arrived UN convoy.
"A greater catastrophe is in the making if we don't assist people soon,"
stressed Daoudi.
In addition to the convoys, WFP is starting today a humanitarian cargo
airlift using a dedicated Ilyushin-76 aircraft. The first delivery from the
UN humanitarian depot in Brindisi includes 20 temporary warehouses and five
generators for WFP. The aircraft will land in the Syrian town of Latakkia,
from where supplies will be transported overland to Al-Arida, a Syrian
border post that is WFP's loading hub for all UN humanitarian supplies to
be transported by road into Lebanon on UN-escorted convoys. Another flight
is planned for tomorrow.
WFP is the lead UN agency for the logistics of transporting humanitarian
aid to and within Lebanon. WFP is appealing for US$48 million for logistics
and food, with a particularly need for cash contributions. The value of the
special logistics operation alone is US$38 million. WFP plans to discharge
up to 12,000 metric tons of food and non-food relief items per month and to
provide a common UN trucking fleet to UN agencies, international and
non-governmental organizations.
Against its appeal, the first contributions made to WFP are 90 MT of wheat
flour from the Government of Lebanon and US$ 635,000 from Spain. Many
governments have given strong indications of commitments to WFP's operation
including Australia, Belgium, Denmark, the European Commission, Germany,
Italy, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United States.
The conflict has left at least 800,000 people displaced amidst the wreckage
of damaged infrastructure and a shortage of essential goods and services.
WFP has already begun distributing 25 metric tons of high-energy biscuits
to 95,000 displaced people in and around Beirut.
WFP will give priority to distributing assistance to those most in need,
including 95,000 displaced people seeking shelter in schools and public
institutions in Beirut, 165,000 people in the heaviest-hit areas in
southern Lebanon and 50,000 of the approximately 140,000 people in Syria
who have fled the conflict.
WFP is the world's largest humanitarian agency: each year, we give food to
an average of 90 million poor people to meet their nutritional needs,
including 58 million hungry children, in at least 80 of the world's poorest
countries. WFP -- We Feed People.
WFP now has a dedicated ISDN line in Italy for quality two-way interviews
with WFP officials.
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