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Burkina Faso + 10 more

Statement by WFP Executive Director Josette Sheeran on Luxembourg's committment to the fight against hunger

Today, a record one billion people - mostly women and children - go to bed hungry. WFP's mission of reaching the hungry is more important than ever, and we continue to depend on the support of more than 100 nations to do our vital work.

Against the backdrop of another challenging year for the world's hungriest people, Luxembourg has given WFP a generous 3-year aid package totalling US$ 4.5 million (EUR 3 million) to provide school meals to millions of children in a range of countries across Africa, Asia and Latin America - including Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, El Salvador, Laos, Mali, Namibia, Nicaragua, Niger, the occupied Palestinian territory, Senegal and Vietnam.

This contribution - which provides WFP with secure, multi-year funding - will help us reach millions of hungry and undernourished children who would otherwise have to skip meals - exposing them to the lasting, debilitating effects of malnutrition.

So far in 2009, Luxembourg has donated US$11.5 million to WFP - making Luxembourg our top donor per capita. Luxembourg's generosity underscores their commitment to addressing global hunger solutions and serves as a model to other donors. I consider Luxembourg to be a vital partner in the fight against hunger, helping WFP save lives that would otherwise be lost to hunger.