Two UN agencies strengthening cooperation to provide food aid

Two United Nations humanitarian agencies, the World Food Programme (WFP) and the office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) signed an agreement on Tuesday to strengthen cooperation in providing food for refugees and returnees worldwide, UN News reported. The new Memorandum of Understanding - which updates a previous one signed in 1985 - reflects the changes in refugee programmes worldwide, including heightened attention to the needs of women and children, the UN said. In addition, protracted refugee programmes have led the two agencies to concentrate more on helping refugees to become self-sufficient, by way of income-generating projects. Host countries are also being encouraged to incorporate the needs of refugees into national development plans in order to cater for their specific requirements. Furthermore, WFP will now assume temporary responsibility for the distribution of food, as well as procurement and transport, which has traditionally been done by UNHCR. "If the new division of labour proves more effective, the UN food agency will take over the task worldwide," the UN said. The agreement was signed by the heads of the two agencies, James Morris (WFP) and Ruud Lubbers (UNHCR), in the presence of UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan at the launch of the African Union in Durban, South Africa.