Interview with WFP executive director

As executive director of the World Food Programme (WFP), James Morris oversees the largest humanitarian operation in the history of the agency. Since its commencement in late March, some 1.2 million mt of food have been brought into Iraq. In an interview with IRIN, Morris described some of the many challenges the food agency has faced, as well as its goals. "We have set ourselves high standards," he said. With a budget of some US $1.5 billion, the food agency is almost fully funded, thanks to donor response and the Oil for Food Programme, which is expected to cover about 65 percent of requirements. QUESTION: WFP describes its Iraq operation as its biggest logistics operation to date. Can you update us on where you are now? ANSWER: We are proud to say we are already well past the one million tonnes mark. Since this operation began back in late March and throughout the war, we have brought into Iraq 1.2 million mt of mixed food commodities from neighbouring countries. The logistics challenge of bringing in at least 480,000 tonnes per month - what we need to feed the entire population of 27 million - is huge, but this is what we have undertaken to do for five months. I should point out that two-thirds of the food is through the Oil for Food Programme, and the remaining third is from donations. We have about 320 of our international employees assigned to the region - one in five of our international staff worldwide. This staff deployment includes dedicated staff from New York, Rome and Cairo. We also have numerous standby partners, without whom the operation could not function. This is in addition to some 800 national staff, who remained in Iraq throughout the war, and were especially active in the three northern governorates. Our budget in Iraq currently stands at about US $1.5 billion. We are nearly fully funded, thanks to 30 donors, and also thanks to the Oil for Food programme, which is expected to cover about 65 percent of requirements. Q: On average, how much food is being brought in each month and from where? A: The amount of food WFP has brought into Iraq has leapt up from 74,000 mt during April, 409,000 mt in May, to a staggering 758,128 mt in June. As one of our logistics colleagues in the region pointed out, "A through-put of over 1,000 mt per hour, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, sustained for a month - that's unheard of!" The corridors we have been using to transport this food are (in order of tonnage): Turkey, Jordan, Syria, Iraq (through Umm Qasr port), Kuwait and Iran. Q: Since 1996, the UN Oil for Food Programme has allowed Iraq to purchase humanitarian supplies using the proceeds of oil sales under UN supervision. What is the status of that programme now? A: WFP's support for Iraq's Public Distribution System (PDS) is planned until the end of October, the Oil for Food Programme runs until the end of November. At the request of the UN Secretary-General, WFP has renegotiated the food contracts under the Oil for Food Programme, and has used commodities from those contracts (valued at nearly US $1 billion) to bring food into Iraq. Q: What are the main difficulties you are incurring in achieving your objectives in Iraq today? A: Security is the number one constraint. Q: Security remains of paramount concern to delivering humanitarian assistance inside the country. How has this issue affected your distribution operation? A: There have been some isolated incidents in which drivers were threatened or beaten up by unidentified gunmen while transporting food into Iraq. However, against the vast scale of this operation - WFP is hiring an average 9,000 trucks each month - these incidents have not hampered our efforts, though we are concerned they could discourage commercial transporters from sending their drivers into trouble spots. The security at warehouses is not ideal. The Ministry of Trade still needs to place more guards at the warehouses where the Coalition Forces are not providing security. Most of the guards are not armed. There have been reports of looting at Umm Qasr port, as well as looting of the ministry's sugar stocks at one of the main warehouses in Baghdad. Q: WFP has appealed for US $1.3 billion to fund its emergency response to the Iraq crisis. How responsive has the donor community been towards WFP's activities? A: Donations now amount to around US $535 million. WFP was also charged with renegotiating contracts from the Oil for Food Programme, which has brought in food commodities valued at approximately US $1 billion. Q: With the vast majority of Iraqis still dependent on food aid, what programmes would you like to see WFP establishing to provide long-term food security? A: WFP's role is to assist the Iraqi Ministry of Trade (MOT). The MOT and the (Coalition Provisional) Authority in Iraq will need to decide on the best way for people to secure their basic food needs. It remains to be seen whether economic recovery by the end of the year will allow the majority of the population to purchase food on the market. The time line for dismantling the PDS should be approached with caution, based on a detailed knowledge of the income and economic situation of Iraqi families. Q: How is WFP going to prevent a relationship of dependency emerging between the Iraqi people and aid agencies? A: The Iraqis have been receiving food rations from their government for the past 13 years, so no new dependency is emerging. But the Iraqis are at a disadvantage because the food sector in the country has not been a market-driven system. WFP's role is to support the Iraqi MOT, particularly in transport and logistics, as well as in the reactivation of the PDS. Q: On paper Iraq is a wealthy country. What level of commitment should WFP be making to an oil-rich country like Iraq, and for how long? A: WFP operations are donor-funded. Iraq is a country that had a functioning state, resources and highly qualified people. WFP could give some support to assist in the design of programmes to improve the nutritional status of the poorest sectors of the population. In addition, it is important to remember that there will be lots of claims on the funds generated by Iraqi oil, so they may in fact need some help, especially on the technical side. Q: Some minority groups, for example the Marsh Arabs, were largely excluded from the oil for food programme. Does WFP have any specific policies for those groups? A: There is a misconception about the exclusion of the Marsh Arabs from the ration system. In fact, a majority of Marsh Arabs are included in the PDS and get their rations on a monthly basis. WFP has been talking to Marsh Arabs in three southern governorates and has found out that some individuals have had problems getting their ration card - the same problems that Iraqis from other groups have had. WFP has taken steps to help the registration of families from all communities that, for some reason, were not included in the PDS. Q: Where do you see the food security situation in the country in six months' time? A: In the short and medium term, the food needs will have to be covered through imports financed by revenues from the export of oil. Iraq has an important agricultural potential that could top up food imports if sufficient investment is forthcoming. Q: What would you say is WFP's main challenge right now? A: Apart from security, which I have already mentioned, WFP's challenge is to sustain the logistics operation that has made this the biggest humanitarian effort in history. We have set ourselves high standards - which we should maintain. I have been very impressed with the hard work of our WFP staff - and I believe we have a great team.