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U.S. AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT
FACT SHEET
WASHINGTON, DC 20523
PRESS OFFICE
http://www.usaid.gov
(202) 712-43202003-038
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 10, 2003
On April 2, 2003, the U.S. Agency for International Development announced the contribution of an additional $200 million to the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) for Iraq. This funding will enable WFP to procure approximately 324,000 metric tons of food, enough to feed 23 million Iraqis for one month. This donation is will contribute to immediate needs until additional U.S.-donated food arrives in the region and the U. N. Oil-for-Food deliveries resume.
On March 20, 2003 the Bush Administration announced the immediate release of 200,000 metric tons of wheat from the Bill Emerson Humanitarian Trust, with another 400,000 tons to be made available as needed. A portion of the wheat from the reserve will be exchanged for rice, so that a combination of commodities will be available to feed the people of Iraq.
56,000 metric tons out of the initial 200,000 departed Galveston, Texas in early April, and are expected to arrive in Iraq in early May. The food will be transported into Iraq by WFP when the situation is secure. Additional commodities will follow over the next weeks and months. Prior to this announcement, the U.S. has also provided:
- $60 million of assistance to the World Food Program (WFP) for planning and logistical support costs and some food pre-positioning.
- 105,000 metric tons of flour, rice, vegetable oil and beans that is already ordered, shipped or en route to the region to assist with refugees and displaced Iraqis. The value of this donation is $91 million dollars.
In total, the U.S. government has provided 590,000 metric tons of food worth $375 million. In addition, the WFP has positioned 132,000 metric tons of food in region, which will feed 2.2 million people per month for about four months. Taking these and other donations into account, the international community has provided over 720,000 metric tons of food to feed the Iraqi people.
1. The Emerson Trust is an emergency reserve administered under the authority of the Secretary of Agriculture. It is available for humanitarian relief in developing countries, allowing the United States to respond to unanticipated food crises. U.S. food aid programs, under Title II of Public Law 480, are currently fully allocated for the fiscal year, and use of the reserve will help ensure that sufficient commodities are available to respond to needs in Iraq without affecting U.S. food aid commitments elsewhere in the world. The reserve was reauthorized through 2007 by the 2002 Farm Bill.
The U.S. Agency for International Development has provided economic and humanitarian assistance worldwide for more than 40 years.
For more information on USAID's humanitarian relief efforts in Iraq, please visit www.usaid.gov/iraq/.
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