Minister of Foreign Affairs Varsen Shahin Meets Acting Executive Director of the World Food Programme

Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Varsen Shahin met with the Acting Executive Director of the World Food Programme (WFP), Carl Skau, along with the WFP Country Director in Palestine, Sean Nicholas Hughes, and the accompanying delegation.

Minister Shahin commended the efforts undertaken by the World Food Programme amid the current challenges and the deteriorating economic and health conditions in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. She expressed appreciation for the Programme’s food assistance and development support provided to the Palestinian people.

She emphasized the importance of maintaining close coordination and cooperation between the World Food Programme and the relevant Palestinian ministries in order to save lives and strengthen the resilience of Palestinian citizens.

The Minister also stressed the need to preserve the role of UNRWA, ensure complementarity with its work, and avoid overlapping mandates, underscoring that there is no alternative to the Agency.

For his part, Carl Skau reviewed the World Food Programme’s activities and initiatives in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, noting the continued deterioration of food security as well as the fragility of the healthcare and sanitation systems in Gaza.

He reaffirmed the Programme’s commitment, in cooperation with its partners, to implementing food and development programmes supporting the Gaza Strip, its top priority, while continuing its work in the West Bank.

Skau added that these efforts aim to provide Palestinians with a dignified life, strengthen their resilience, and contribute to the pursuit of peace.

The meeting was also attended by Ambassador Omar Awadallah, Deputy Minister for Political Affairs.