IFRC/WFP operational agreement

The UN World Food Programme (WFP) and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies signed an agreement in Malawi on Tuesday for an "operational partnership" as part of their response to the food crisis in Southern Africa, a joint statement said. The agencies are to work in partnership to supply and deliver food and non-food items to people in five Southern African countries - Lesotho, Malawi, Swaziland, Zambia and Zimbabwe - where 13 million people are facing severe food shortages. "The massive needs in Southern Africa have led us to find new ways to collaborate and coordinate our activities. With this partnership, we are benefiting from each other's strengths and maximising the use of available resources," Jan Egeland, the secretary-general of the Norwegian Red Cross, was quoted as saying. He signed the agreement on behalf of the International Federation, together with WFP's Executive Director and UN Secretary-General's Special Envoy James Morris. The International Federation has made a US $7.9 million "Transport Support Package (TSP)" available to WFP. The TSP consists of 200 trucks, two fuel tankers, one rescue vehicle, 10 long-haul truck/trailers, four mobile workshops, three mechanical workshops, 20 Land cruisers, five forklift trucks, 24 deployable warehouses, radio equipment and spare parts. The TSP was donated to the International Federation by the Norwegian government and the Norwegian Red Cross. The TSP would allow the Red Cross/Red Crescent and NGO's, who are responding to the emergency, to transport and distribute WFP food. The vehicles would be used to implement one of the largest food transport operations that the International Federation has ever carried out. "We are incredibly grateful for this strategic and timely contribution. This is typical of the extraordinary support that WFP has received from Norway and other Nordic countries over the years," said Morris. The transportation and distribution of food aid in the region has posed an extraordinary challenge given the high number of people needing assistance, the vast distances that need to be covered, and the terrain, the statement said. "The TSP and our operational partnership are increasing both agencies' capacity and will give us much greater success in reaching the most vulnerable with food aid and thus help to mitigate the effects of the humanitarian crisis," added Morris. WFP are to cover the running costs for the TSP, and the International Federation would employ and train all the necessary staff.