Permanent Secretary for Office of the Prime Minister and Foreign Affairs, Yogesh Karan, received a courtesy call from the World Food Programme’s (WFP) Country Director for the Pacific Multi-Country Office based in Suva, Mr Alpha Bah today (15/08/22).
Mr Karan congratulated Mr Bah and wished him well in his new role, with assurances of the Fijian Government’s continued collaboration with WFP. He thanked WFP Pacific Multi-Country Office for supporting Fiji and the region at a time of great need, especially during natural disasters and the COVID-19 pandemic. WFP has supported Fiji and the Pacific through the Asia Pacific Emergency Preparedness and Response Strategy, in the provision of humanitarian assistance, emergency preparedness, emergency telecommunications, and food security.Mr Bah thanked the Fijian Government and the people of Fiji for their strong support and encouragement which led to WFP setting up its Pacific Multi-Country Office in Fiji in 2015 as a hub to support the Pacific region.PS Karan said Fiji is grateful for WFP’s efforts to strengthen the capacities and capabilities of Pacific Island Countries’ National Disaster Management Offices to prepare for and respond to disasters, in line with the WFP’s global mandate and obligations as cluster lead agency in “Food Security, Logistics and Emergency Telecommunications.” The World Food Programme is the world’s largest humanitarian organization, saving lives in emergencies and using food assistance to build a pathway to peace, stability, and prosperity for people recovering from conflict, disasters, and the impact of climate change.He noted that the development of cohesive response policies and strategies for “food and nutritional security” and addressing climate change is also an important area of cooperation between WFP and Fiji. PS Karan said the Fijian Government will continue to work closely with WFP in building resilience and a sustainable future for Fiji and the region.He reaffirmed WFP’s commitment to work with the Fijian Government in strengthening the emergency preparedness and response coordination capacity through technical assistance to government-led clusters such as the National Food Security, Emergency Telecommunications, and Logistic Clusters.
He mentioned that by employing WFP’s strengths in data collection and analysis, WFP will continue to support evidence-based food security and social protection policies, with greater attention to anticipatory action and climate change.In response, WFP’s Pacific Multi-Country Office Director, Mr Alpha Bah, said WFP recognises the great work by the Fijian Government for the people of Fiji.
