Fiji and the World Food Programme have agreed to strengthen cooperation in responding to the immediate nutritional needs to Fijians and those affected by natural disasters in Fiji and the Pacific.
This was the key outcome of discussions held today at the WFP headquarters between the Fijian Minister for Agriculture Hon. Dr Mahendra Reddy and the WFP Executive Director David Beasley. Today’s meeting, held on the margins of the 2019 WFP Executive Board meeting was an opportunity for both men, who have both recently assumed their positions respectively, to look at how they can work closely together. In their discussions, the Minister commended the role that the WFP has played in the Pacific region over the years.
“Your Excellency, please allow me first to convey to you on behalf of the people and Government of Fiji our own warm greetings. It has been an honor to be here in Rome to participate at this year’s Board meeting”.
“Given the growing demand for nutritional food against a backdrop of growing global challenges, we recognize the important role that the WFP plays in this process”, Minister Reddy said.
“As you know, climate change poses great challenges in our part of the world and we expect that this will continue to severely impact food security especially in the most climate-vulnerable nations such as Kiribati and Tuvalu.”
“As a result of climate impacts in these nations, affected nations are unable to fully produce their own food including agriculture produce. This in turn places an additional burden on small economies that incur high food import bills. As well, the dependency on cheap and processed food decreases the nutritional value of the meals that the citizens of these countries require.
In response, Mr Beasley welcomed Minister Reddy to Rome and to the WFP and commended him for Fiji’s own support towards the work of the WFP. He pointed out that the WFP recognized the growing challenges faced in the Pacific including the growing impacts of climate change on food security and nutritional needs of Pacific citizens. He informed the Minister that the WFP will work with all its partners to address the gaps and challenges of climate change on ordinary citizens.
Minister Reddy is in Rome attending the WFP Executive Board meeting which is currently underway at the WFP Headquarters.