RIYADH — King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSrelief) signed a Joint Cooperation Agreement at a virtual ceremony on Thursday to the tune of $20 million with the World Food Programme (WFP) to meet the urgent food needs of the most vulnerable households in Yemen. The aid package is expected to provide support to 525,849 food-insecure people.

Eng. Ahmed Ali Al Baiz, KSrelief’s Assistant Supervisor General of Operations and Programs, signed the agreement with Mageed Yahia, WFP’s representative to the GCC Region

Al-Baiz said, “Saudi Arabia continues its commitment to timely respond to urgent humanitarian needs and thus has saved lives and protected livelihoods of the most vulnerable people throughout Yemen.”

He confirmed that under this agreement, 16,908 tons of wheat flour will be purchased and distributed. The objective is to enhance food security; improve livelihoods and resilience; and avoid hunger for people suffering from acute food insecurity. The aid will cover the governorates of Aden, Dhale, Al Hudaydah, Ma’rib, Shabwa, Taiz and Hajjah

“Support from KSrelief has helped keep famine at bay”, said Richard Ragan, WFP Yemen Representative and Country Director, “You see the desperation to get food on the people’s faces, and this contribution has come at a critical time for the neediest families.”

Saudi Arabia has contributed more than $1.168 billion to WFP’s response in Yemen since 2015, including $380 million in 2019 which helped WFP scale up operations to reach 13 million people, pulling Yemen back from the brink of famine and saving lives

The signing of the latest agreement comes within the food programs and projects offered by Saudi Arabia through its humanitarian arm, KSrelief, which aims to secure the basic food needs of the brotherly Yemeni people. — SG