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Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all of you. Before you head out for time with family and friends, please take a look at some of the latest news from us.


-Erin


Sandy Berger Lecture with Madeleine Albright

On December 8, we kicked off our inaugural Samuel R. Berger Lecture at the Council on Foreign Relations featuring former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright. She gave a tremendous speech, drawing the link between food security and national security interests, as well as commending WFP for its leadership in the fight to solve global hunger. “Since it’s inception, the United Nations World Food Programme has done more than any organization in history to fight hunger,” said Albright. “World Food Program USA provides a vital link between their efforts and the American people, while advocating here in Washington for a vision of a world without hunger.” To read her full remarks, go here<http://wfpusa.org/news-releases/madeleine-albrights-remarks-for-wfp-usas-samuel-r-berger-lecture-series/>.


Lebanon: A Joint Report (WFP, UNICEF & UNHCR) Confirms Vulnerability of Syrian Refugees

Lebanon hosts more than one million Syrian refugees. As of late August, nearly $1 billion had been provided for humanitarian assistance efforts, but that is still less than half of what is needed to ensure the well-being of refugees. A new UN report provides insight into the state of the refugee population’s living conditions. Specifically, less than half of all children age 6-14 years old are not in school; only 1 in 5 households holds legal residency permits; more than 70% of families live below the poverty line; and limited income sources remained one of the underlying causes of food insecurity. See the full report<http://data.unhcr.org/syrianrefugees/admin/download.php?id=12482>.


WFP’s Operations in Aleppo

WFP is delivering food in Aleppo – but just in Western Aleppo. Last month we reached more than 527,000 people there with rations. It’s only Eastern Aleppo that we can’t reach. WFP was able to reach Eastern Aleppo city until the end of June, but when fighting intensified, Eastern Aleppo was cut off. Once that happened – this was early July -- WFP reached 288,000 people in Eastern Aleppo by halving remaining food rations that had been pre-positioned inside the city before access was cut off. On November 13, all WFP food supplies in Eastern Aleppo ran out, and we haven’t been able to get in since. WFP is ready to deliver emergency food assistance for at least 120,000 people to Eastern Aleppo city should safe and secure access become possible.


Reuniting After Escaping ISIS

I’m excited to share the latest episode of WFP USA's podcast Hacking Hunger: Reuniting After Escaping ISIS. "The city of Mosul has become the latest frontline in the war against ISIS and hunger in Iraq. Tens of thousands of families have fled the violence, reuniting with food and loved ones after years of separation. M.J. talks to Alex Murdoch, a World Food Programme communications officer in Iraq, about documenting the human experience of this exodus -- from the heartbreak of continual displacement to the joys of unexpected reunion.” Read and listen here<https://www.wfpusa.org/articles/hacking-hunger-episode-15-reuniting-after-escaping-isis/%20>.


Rick to Speak in San Fran at the World Affairs Council
On January 11, Rick will speak at the World Affairs Council in San Francisco on a panel with the Executive Director of the Millennium Challenge Corporation. The topic is “U.S. Development Aid: What Does the Next Administration Hold?” More details here<http://www.worldaffairs.org/events/event/1674#.WFV25zMrLC0>.

Erin Cochran
Vice President, Communications

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