HEADQUARTERS PRESS BRIEFING BY WORLD FOOD PROGRAMME HEAD

The World Food Programme (WFP) has broken its record for monthly food distribution inside Afghanistan, the Agency's Executive Director, Catherine Bertini, said at a Headquarters press briefing this afternoon.

She said the Agency had sent in 55,000 tonnes of wheat this month, exceeding its goal of 52,000 tonnes.  In the last two-and-a-half weeks, therefore, the WFP had brought in as much as it needed for the month, but was now aiming for higher numbers that could be drawn upon during the snow-bound winter months.

Ms. Bertini said the international community must bring the same determination to bear in terms of reconstruction as it had in the war against terrorism.  The Afghan people were not only poor, but had been living in war, civil strife and drought.  An estimated 6 million people were in desperate need of food.

The people of Afghanistan also needed clean drinking water, roads, basic health services and education, she said.  The United Nations must be given the necessary resources in its efforts for rebuilding, humanitarian relief, reconstruction and development.  The WFP played a major role in all three of those categories and would continue to do so, she added.

Ms. Bertini appealed to the international community not to forget the other poor countries faced with multiple crises, where people were desperately poor and needed support.  Such countries were not often on newspaper front pages, but they were critically important.

She described tomorrow's humanitarian visit by New York City firefighters and police officers as an example of the intensified humanitarian involvement of people throughout the world with the Afghan people.  The New York team would be arriving in Kabul to deliver food, blankets and other emergency supplies for distribution by the WFP.

Asked whether the Agency had access to cities other than Kabul, the WFP head replied that the Agency had programmes in cities throughout the country.  Kandahar had been problematic for some time, but as soon as it was stable, the staff would go back to work and food would go into the city.

She said the WFP was also present in the rural areas and was partners with more than 60 non-governmental organizations (NGOs).  It was reaching about

5 million of the estimated 6 million people determined to be desperately in need of food throughout Afghanistan.  Mazar-i-Sharif had only recently become stable, but the Agency was distributing food there.

Asked about security outside the cities, Ms. Bertini said there had been no serious major incidents involving the movement of food from neighbouring countries.  Where insecurity was still prevalent, food was moved in as conditions became more stable.

* *** *