UNITED NATIONS, May 27 (UPI) -- An Iraqi government contribution of $40 million to the U.N. World Food Program will help nearly 750,000 displaced Iraqis, officials said Tuesday.
WFP Iraq Director Stefano Poretti said the donation, the largest by the Iraqi government to any U.N. organization, "shows the government's commitment to support all Iraqis, particularly those not covered by the government-run food distribution system."
Internally displaced Iraqis are not eligible for food rations distributed by the government because they have fled their home provinces. Internal refugees therefore rely on organizations like the WFP to receive vital aid, the United Nations said in a statement.
Poretti said he plans to use the funds to purchase food directly from Iraqi merchants in a cost-saving measure to curtail transport expenses, but he noted that plan depends on the security situation in the country.
The Iraqi government donation means the program is 85 percent funded, though a sister program in Syria is 45 percent short of the revenue needed to care for the 360,000 Iraqi refugees there, the statement said.
