First American Donation To WFP's Global Network Of Humanitarian Response Depots

The United Nations World Food Program (WFP) has welcomed
a US$500,000 contribution from the US government to WFP's network of
Humanitarian Response Depots around the world.



"This contribution demonstrates US support for a global emergency
warehouse network that provides provisions to people in need when an
emergency strikes," said Jordan Dey, Director of WFP's US Relations Office.



Humanitarian Response Depots (HRDs) comprise the cornerstone of a global
emergency response system that enables humanitarian supplies to be
pre-positioned in five key locations across the world: Accra in Ghana,
Brindisi in Italy, Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, Panama City in Panama
and Subang in Malaysia.



The depots stock basic supplies (food, shelter, medical kits) and
operational support equipment including prefabricated offices and living
accommodation, communications gear and logistical items for the
humanitarian community. The depots also serve as staging areas and have
training facilities for humanitarian workers.



Run by WFP, HRDs are a collaborative venture between NGOs, government and
UN organizations. They house supplies from different organizations in the
same warehouse, enabling quick, effective and cost-efficient deployment of
materials into emergency zones. Users of the HRD network include World
Vision, Mercy Corps US, World Health Organization (WHO) and the UN Office
for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).



For example, in June, supplies were sent from the HRD in Accra to help
refugees from Darfur, Sudan that have fled to the Central African Republic.
Last month food and other supplies were sent from the HRD in Brindisi,
Italy to feed people in Chad and Somalia.



The US donation, its first for the HRDs, came from USAID's Office of
Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA), which has been a strong supporter of
WFP. 2007 contributions include US$4 million to support humanitarian air
operations in Darfur and US$1 million to populations affected by conflict
in Nepal. The recent donation to HRDs brings total contributions from OFDA
in 2007 to over $8 million.



The US donation will help strengthen the depot network and the
pre-positioning of logistical supplies and relief items at all depots.



WFP is the world's largest humanitarian agency: on average, each year, we
give food to 90 million poor people to meet their nutritional needs,
including 58 million hungry children, in 80 of the world's poorest
countries. WFP -- We Feed People.


wfp