Maritime Silk Road combats hunger

The United Nations World Food Programme was sending several thousand tons of donated Chinese rice along the route of the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road to support people in need of food in drought-stricken Somalia, the agency reported on June 2.

The contribution of more than 2,822 metric tons of rice from China was being loaded onto a ship in Shanghai on June 2. The agency said this shows China is honoring the food assistance commitment it made at the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in May in Beijing.

Distribution of the rice will begin as soon as it arrives in Somalia and will provide critical assistance to drought affected people in 18 regions of the country. Together with China's recent contributions of sorghum and Plumpy'Sup - a ready-to-use food supplement for children with moderate acute malnutrition - there is enough food to feed approximately 223,500 people for four months, the agency said.

"WFP is extremely grateful to the government of China for its longstanding commitment to addressing urgent humanitarian needs that will substantially boost our efforts to provide vital food support to vulnerable people on the brink of starvation. Now, food from China will travel the maritime Silk Road to support the drought-affected people of Somalia," said Qu Sixi, WFP China representative.

"The ancient maritime Silk Road can efficiently link people, supply, transportation and humanitarian assistance. Such connections help countries assist each other in reaching the goal of eradicating poverty and hunger."

As the drought has intensified, particularly in southern and northeastern Somalia, severe food insecurity has spread, agency officials say. Half of the population, including 363,000 acutely malnourished children under 5, is in need of urgent assistance.

WFP will continue to ramp up its assistance to reach 3.4 million people there over the next six months through emergency food assistance as well as specially fortified nutrition support for women and young children, it said.

WFP is the world's largest humanitarian agency fighting hunger worldwide. Each year, it assists some 80 million people in around 80 countries.

(China Daily Africa Weekly 06/09/2017 page3)