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Basic Facts about the United Nations
2000. It has also responded to the emergency needs of conflict-affected refugees in Lebanon since 2006. In response to the situation in Syria, the Agency has been providing emergency and regular services to refugees inside Syria as well as to those who have fled to Lebanon and Jordan. UNRWA’s operations are supported by its two headquarters in Gaza and Amman, Jordan. The Commissioner-General, who reports to the General Assembly, is assisted by a 25-member Advisory Commission composed of Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Egypt, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the United States. The European Union, the League of Arab States and Palestine are observers. UNRWA employs around 33,000 local staff and 146 international staff. UNRWA’s 2012–2013 project budget amounted to $2 billion, including $681.2 million for projects. The Agency depends almost entirely on voluntary contributions from donor states; approximately 2.5 per cent of its current biennium budget requirements are met by the UN regular budget. Most voluntary contributions are in cash, but some are in kind—mostly food for needy refugees. Commissioner-General: Filippo Grandi (Italy) Headquarters (Gaza): Gamal Abdul Nasser Street, Gaza City Postal address: P.O. Box 371 Gaza City Tel.: (972 8) 288 7701; Fax: (972 8) 288 7699 Headquarters (Amman, Jordan): Bayader Wadi Seer, P.O. Box 140157, Amman 11814, Jordan Tel.: (962 6) 580 8100; Fax: (962 6) 580 8335; E-mail: HQ-PIO@unrwa.org
World Food Programme (WFP) The World Food Programme (www.wfp.org) is the world’s largest humanitarian organization fighting hunger. Since its founding in 1963, WFP has fed some 2 billion of the world’s poorest people, and used food assistance to meet emergency needs and support economic and social development in more than 80 countries. At any given time, WFP has 40 ships at sea, 60 aircraft in the sky and 5,000 trucks on the ground, moving food and other assistance to where it is needed most. Through its global school meals campaign, the Programme supplies daily meals to 24.7 million school children in some 60 countries. In 2012, WFP delivered 3.5 million metric tons of food assistance to 97.2 million people in 80 countries, providing nearly 70 per cent of the world’s emergency food aid. During that year, it bought over 2.1 million metric tons of food worth more than $1.1 billion; 86 per cent of the food was purchased in 75 developing countries. The Programme is funded completely by voluntary donations from nations, private donors and individuals. In 2012, it raised $3.9 billion. More than 90 per cent of its 11,799 staff members are fieldbased. WFP is governed by a 36-member Executive Board. It works closely with its two Rome-based sister organizations, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and the International Fund for Agricultural Development. The Programme also partners with more than 2,100 NGOs to distribute food. Executive Director: Ertharin Cousin (United States) Headquarters: Via C.G. Viola 68, Parco dei Medici, 00148 Rome, Italy Tel.: (39 06) 65131; Fax: (39 06) 6590632; E-mail: wfpinfo@wfp.org