WFP has been working in Cambodia since helping refugees along the Thai border in 1979. In the past six years, its programmes have increasingly focused on crises of education, HIV/AIDS, maternal and child mortality.Press Release
World Food Programme (WFP)
"I remember how hard it was for me as a young child to attend school. Not only was the school far away from my house, but often I arrived at school hungry and it was difficult to concentrate on what the teacher was explaining." - Samdach Hun Sen, Prime Minister of CambodiaPhnom Penh, 13 December 2007 - The Royal Government of Cambodia (RGC) and the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) today announced the launch of a new three year programme for continuing food assistance for 1.8 million Cambodians at a Phnom Penh ceremony attended by the Prime Minister of Cambodia, Samdech Hun Sen.
The approved programme, valued at USS$64 million, will provide meals to children in school and to other vulnerable people, including thousands of TB patients and people affected by HIV/AIDS in Cambodia from 2008 through 2010.
“I remember how hard it was for me as a young child to attend school. Not only was the school far away from my house, but often I arrived at school hungry and it was difficult to concentrate on what the teacher was explaining,” said the Prime Minister, while witnessing the signing of the formal agreement between the RGC and the WFP.
“I strongly support the WFP school feeding programme and I especially appreciate that WFP uses locally-purchased food in its projects.”
Three-year programme
The three year programme was recently approved by the WFP's Executive Board consisting of representatives of 36 countries meeting in Rome, Italy, and will target food assistance and support to vulnerable Cambodians in the least developed and most food insecure regions of the nation.
WFP’s food assistance will be distributed through projects focused on education, health and disaster prevention and mitigation at the community level and will be implemented in collaboration with government entities and with national and international non-governmental organizations working in Cambodia.
Committed
HE HOR Namhong, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation representing the RGC at the agreement signing ceremony noted: “WFP programmes are fully in line with the Government's Rectangular Strategy, which gives priority to the rural areas of the country in the Government's quest to eradicate poverty and hunger in Cambodia. Despite its limited resources, it has committed to provide at least 2,000 metric tonnes of rice to WFP on yearly basis for the next three years. We encourage the donor community to support these valuable programmes.”
Thomas Keusters, WFP's Representative and Country Director, said: “WFP is grateful for the financial commitments and the increased ownership of the RGC for the successful implementation of the programmes in Cambodia. It requires funding from as many donors as possible. In addition, timing is crucial to avoid interruption in the supply and avoid a repeat of the funding crisis faced in early 2007.”
Catalyst
Keusters continued by saying: “Food assistance has an immediate impact on beneficiaries and it is often also the catalyst that will allow other programmes to be successful. What good is it to build more schools and train more teachers, if the children can not take advantage of the improved facilities because they come to school hungry? What is the benefit of HIV/AIDS/TB medical support if the people cannot afford to buy the food that is needed for the medicine to be effective?”
WFP Cambodia
WFP Cambodia has been present in Cambodia since 1979. Originally, it was supporting refugees and returnees, mainly along the Cambodian/Thai border.
Since 2001, it is increasingly involved in programmes addressing the crises of education, HIV/AIDS, maternal and child mortality. In addition, local communities are empowered in the administration of food based projects and their capacity to cope with increasingly frequent and severe natural hazards is improving.
2 comments:
Like what Chai Eang said: why government has to supplement the rice to WFP? WFP has already arranged food and budget for Cambodian peoples?
This adding rice is fraud and tactic from government to lure Cambodian people that food given by CPP. This is a tactic of vote-buying.
KY
Current Hun Sen's cruel reaction to Yash Ghai signified terrible future for Cambodians. Under Hun Sen's leadership, Cambodia is moving to become Vietnam's Indochina Federation member faster and faster. Few below considering facts should be useful for you all.
* 1. Hun Sen has denounced United Nations about its recognition of Khmer Rouge government is unusual. The original purpose of UN to recognize Khmer Rouge regime during 19 century is essential because the Vietnamese invasion in Cambodia and Khmer Rouge's brutality was two different things. UN considered KR brutality is worse, but Vietnamese invasion in Cambodia is the worst, especially the illegality of Vietnam that spread their troops throughout Cambodia land.
Question: What is Hun Sen's stand point of view about these two controversial issues? - Brutality of KR is ended, but Vietnamese influence is still overwhelming in Cambodia.
* 2. Now, Japanese government's role in Indochina is critical for Cambodians. Japanese has planned their aids not to providing solely to Cambodia, Laos or Vietnam, but Japanese government plans to aid as joint development project including Cambodia, Vietnam and Laos. We surely know that Japan needs to counterbalance with China in this region, but what is worse for Cambodia is the fastest of becoming a legal member of Indochina Federation.
Question: Has Hun Sen government used their capacity to monitor all those development projects with Vietnam? - In case of current Triangle and Land Concession to Vietnamese authority is well informed by Cambodian experts.
* 3. According to 2008 Calendar of Cambodia, we can see that the government recognizes January 7 day as the national memorable day that Cambodia can escape from KR brutality, but government has intentionally erased October 23 day in the national day calendar from commemorating. Significance of these two national days are both important that government has to value them. However, October 23 is considered as the second independent day for Cambodians from foreign invader (first independent day is from French which is still celebrated).
Question: Why Hun Sen's government neglect to commemorate Paris Peace Agreement day? - Khmer Rouge brutality is ended, but why Hun Sen's leadership is keeping January 7 as the memorable day. Now, the influences of Vietnam is still huge in Cambodia?
* 4. Hun Sen's leadership in the future is important for us to comprehend that: from current possibility, Hun Sen will change Cambodia to boost in economic development by neglecting human rights, freedom and democracy development. Currently, international aids have concerned only economic growth especially the competitive aids from Japan and China that those aids don't focus on building real democracy in Cambodia. The tendency that Hun Sen government is moving now truly copies from China and Vietnam that they see these two countries' economic growth as their model.
Question: Which one is more important between democracy and economy? - Both are important, but why Hun Sen's leadership is turning to Vietnamese style?
* 5. Current trial of Khmer Rouge will enable nothing better for future Cambodia because it is politicized by government since the beginning. As we can understand, Hun Sen's leadership will not hesitate to try Khmer Rouge leaders because this trial is absolutely benefiting his party (CPP). However, it is not benefiting to CPP only, it is also benefiting to foreign country who came to liberate Cambodians from KR brutality. Psychologically, more trial is loud through the media, the Cambodian peoples have more favors and loves to the CPP as well as Hun Sen. And the legality of invasion is coming near. Recently, Hun Sen cursed the UN's special envoy Yash Ghai as well as UN itself is the intention to dismiss Paris Peace Agreement and UN's presence in 1993. He accuses UN that didn't come to intervene KR during brutality and why now comes to Cambodia and criticize about human rights violation? - This accusation is baseless because during the KR period the world was fully chaotic.
Question: Does KR trial can improve Cambodia justice system? According to current government's attitude towards human rights report in Cambodia, is it fertile for creating the rule of law state? - KR is the best tool for Vietnam to achieve their Indochina Federation in current transitional politics of Cambodia under Hun Sen's Leadership.
* Notes: Hun Sen and his government's current policy doesn't only violate their treaty with UN about human rights, but also violate Cambodian national constitution. Hun Sen and his government has gradually violated Cambodian national constitution.
KY
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