Food Assistance for Refugees and the Displaced - WFP 2007-2009

Refugees and displaced persons often live in difficult conditions for long periods of time and rely heavily on an uninterrupted supply of international food assistance to camps where they are often confined for lengthy durations. While the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) plays the lead role in helping to ensure the protection of refugees and internally displaced populations the World Food Programme (WFP) also contributes to address situations of critical food insecurity. Given the needs of other WFP operations donors often overlook refugee programs. As a result in many operations rations for refugees are often below minimum standards. UNHCR and WFP have thus joined efforts to raise awareness on programming gaps affecting refugees and to address acute malnutrition in humanitarian contexts. CIDA's contribution is supporting WFP to address critical food insecurity needs for refugees and internally displaced persons based on assessed needs on the ground. This support helps to ensure regular and uninterrupted access to an appropriate supply of food assistance for those that rely on the WFP to meet their emergency food needs. WFP activities also focus on finding sustainable solutions to help build the capacities of vulnerable populations to meet their own food and nutrition needs.