Foreign Minister discusses with WFP representative repeated import of spoiled food

Minister of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants Jamal Amer met today in Sana’a with the Resident Representative of the World Food Programme (WFP), Pierre Onora, and his deputy.

In the meeting, the Foreign Minister expressed his annoyance at the repeated import of spoiled food by the UN program due to poor transportation and storage, stressing that this makes aid a tool to kill beneficiaries instead of helping them live.

He stressed the need not to repeat such serious violations that affect the lives and health of the beneficiaries, and that all humanitarian food assistance provided by the World Food Program conforms to international specifications and standards and carries a sufficient validity period.

For their part, the representative of the organization and his deputy, their strong apology for what happened and expressed their annoyance, stressing that this will not be repeated.

Onora presented a report on the program’s work plan for the first quarter of 2025 and its efforts to increase the number of beneficiaries during the next year, as well as on the implementation of the remainder of the program’s work plan for the year 2024.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs directed the formation of a committee from the international cooperation sector in the ministry, the ministries of social affairs and health and the General Organization for Standardization and Metrology, to inspect and sort the shipment of spoiled food and submit a detailed report on it.

The meeting was attended by the head of the international cooperation sector at the ministry, Ismail Al-Mutawakel.