MEDIA RELEASE
Released By:
Downer
Australia will provide food aid worth $2.6 million to help the current
humanitarian situation in the Palestinian Territories.
The situation in the territories remains serious and is marked by high rates
of poverty, unemployment and malnutrition.
Our food aid contribution is part of the ongoing relief and development
assistance that Australia provides to the Palestinian people. Australia
will contribute $1.6 million to the World Food Programme (WFP) and $1 million
to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) for food aid.
WFP is currently targeting food aid to 500,000 Palestinians amongst the
non-refugee population. Beneficiaries of this food aid will include the
elderly, the chronically ill, people with disabilities, the long term
unemployed and households headed by women.
UNRWA, through its Emergency Appeal 2002 is providing food aid to almost
220,000 Palestinian families.
The social and economic impact of the conflict in the West Bank and Gaza has
been enormous.
A nutritional survey carried out by CARE International reports significant
levels of malnutrition and anemia in children under five. Recent UN
estimates also indicate that over fifty per cent of the population has received
some type of food aid, and around sixty per cent of the population is living on
less than $4 ($US2) per day.
Media Contacts:
Chris Kenny (Ministerial) 02 6277 7500 / 0419 206 890
Jo Elsom (AusAID) 02 6206 4960 / 0412 804 489