ARTICLE - IMPORTANT MEETING WITH WFP

IMPORTANT MEETING WITH THE WFP
(Haiti Libre) -

Ms. Ertharin Cousin, the Executive Director of the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), in a visit this week to Haiti for three days, met with President Martelly, the First Lady Sophia Martelly, and Prime Minister Laurent Lamothe.

Following a meeting with President Martelly who intended to revitalize, in a more realistic and reassuring approach, the WFP's cooperation with Haiti, Ms. Cousin met, the First Lady, Sophia Martelly, at the National Palace around the cooperation with the Haitian state through the National Coordination of the Fight against Hunger and Malnutrition (COLFAM), and issues of food security in Haiti. Ms. Cousin who was accompanied by the Director of WFP for the Region, Mr. Gemmo Lodesani, of the Director of WFP in Haiti, Ms. Myrta Kaulard, renewed the commitment of their institution to support the fight against hunger and malnutrition in Haiti.

Accompanied by the Ministers of Planning and External Cooperation, Ms. Josefa Gauthier, Public Health and Population, Mrs. Florence D. Guillaume, Education and Training, Mr.Réginald Paul, Agriculture, Natural Resources and Rural Development, Thomas Jacques, Ministers delegated to the Prime Minister responsible for the promotion of the peasantry, Ms. Marie Mimose Félix, and the fight against poverty, Ms. Marie Carmelle Rose Anne Auguste, and other members of the COLFAM, the First Lady opened the discussion around a long-term institutional partnership between WFP and the Office in charge of the program "Aba Grangou".

Congratulating Ms. Ertharin Cousin on her appointment in April 2012, to the head of the largest UN agency in the fight against world hunger, Ms. Sophia Martelly wishes to conclude with WFP:

- a technical and financial support to the program "Aba Grangou" during the next 4 years in order to ensure it has a strong institutional and technical anchor;

- a support towards local purchases to provide food for schools, by concentrating on purchases of tubers such as cassava, yams and sweet potatoes;

- a gradual integration of the mode of operation of WFP's school feeding program, so that it intergrates gradually into the institutional structures of government, including the National School Feeding Programme (PNCS);

- a systematic involvement of civil society and parents in the management and monitoring of school feeding programs, and an engagement alongside participatory initiatives (Programs "Tèt Kole pou Lavi miyò", "Kore Fanmi",...) scaled by Aba Grangou;

- a support for the realization of socio-economic surveys of households as a basis of targeting and of support to vulnerable people;

- a support to the services of support of moderate acute malnutrition throughout the territory of Haiti;

- a support to the formation of a network of nutritionists to support the program "Aba Grangou" on the ground;

- a support for the establishment of a network of community workers, of family support (Kore Fanmi) to address with families, the root causes of malnutrition, and a common visibility with "Aba Grangou", for all WFP operations in Haiti.

The WFP Executive Director commended the work and vision of the National Programme "Aba Grangou" implemented to fight against hunger and malnutrition, in preparation for Rio +20, the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development. Both women stressed the value of a true partnership, harmonizing UN programs with those of the government, and creating a strong link with the private sector, to strengthen the resilience of the most vulnerable people.

However, Ms. Ertharin Cousin, stressed that a significant reduction in donor contributions threatens WFP's ability to respond as needed to these persistent high-priority issues. WFP Haiti is at a critical point and requires US$54.6 million to keep programmes operating through the end of 2012. She launched an appeal to the friends of Haiti in the world, in order to continue supporting the efforts of the Government of Haiti and WFP, to provide sustainable solutions to fight the hunger and malnutrition targeted at the most food-insecure and vulnerable populations.

After her meeting with the First Lady, Ms. Ertharin Cousin met the Prime Minister, Laurent Lamothe at the Hotel Montana. The Head of Government welcomed the various programs and activities undertaken by WFP in Haiti, especially since 12 January 2010.

In his speech for the occasion, the Prime Minister expressed the hope that his Government benefits from the support of the UN entity in its policy of increasing agricultural production, by favoring the purchase of local agricultural products. "The Martelly-Lamothe government would have liked that the quantity of local products in the stocks of WFP food security passes the threshold of 25% to 40%," indicated the Head of Government.

Laurent Lamothe has also called the WFP to support national initiatives aiming to the modernization, recapitalization and development of agriculture, by providing technical and financial assistance to the establishment and development of processing infrastructure of certain products such as fruits and tubers. He considers the visit of Madame Cousin as "a rare opportunity to strengthen collaboration between WFP and the state bodies, and to reorienting its operations and its actions based on the priorities of the Government and in the best interests of the nation."