The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) announced today a generous contribution of US$7 million from the Republic of Korea. This vital funding will help to provide critical food and nutrition assistance to vulnerable communities in Sudan, where famine has been confirmed in parts of the country and hundreds of thousands face catastrophic levels of hunger.
This contribution is part of the joint Republic of Korea/WFP "Responding with Emergency Assistance for Conflict-affected Households" (REACH) project. The project will support WFP's efforts to expand food and nutrition support for families in hard-to-reach areas, including in the Darfur, Kordofan, and Khartoum states.
"The situation in Sudan is dire, with more than half the population facing acute hunger," said Laurent Bukera, WFP Sudan Country Director and Representative. "This timely contribution from the Republic of Korea will help us save lives in the hardest to reach areas of Sudan. We are extremely grateful to the Government and the people of the Republic of Korea for their support to the people of Sudan".
With the US$7 million contribution, WFP will provide cash transfers to nearly 90,000 people for two months, ensuring families in conflict zones can still purchase food despite physical access constraints. Cash assistance also helps boost the economy by injecting money into local markets. WFP will also use the contribution to provide lifesaving nutrition support to around 30,000 malnourished children and pregnant or breastfeeding women for three months.
"Korea, as a responsible donor country, is dedicated to addressing global humanitarian crises. This year, Korea is strengthening partnerships with major international organizations, particularly in regions with urgent humanitarian needs. We're proud of continuing to collaborate with the World Food Programme, an organization with strong expertise in food assistance, to support Sudan. We hope this new contribution of 7 million USD will help alleviate the suffering of the Sudanese people affected by the ongoing conflict," said H.E. NAMGUNG Hwan, Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to Sudan.
This is the largest contribution from the Republic of Korea to WFP in Sudan in recent years, further building on the existing partnership. Since 2022, WFP Sudan has received US$10 million from the Republic of Korea for emergency food assistance and to support the WFP-managed United Nations Humanitarian Air Service.
Globally, the Republic of Korea is one of WFP's top ten Government donors as it continues to step up support to WFP and the people we serve.
Sudan is currently the world's largest hunger crisis with around 25 million people facing acute hunger with 638,000 people facing catastrophic conditions. Famine was first confirmed more than one year ago in Zamzam displacement camp in North Darfur and the crisis is deepening as conflict continues to escalate in the Darfur and Kordofan region.
WFP urgently requires $658 million to sustain operations over the next six months and the impact of funding gaps is already being felt on the ground, with WFP only having enough resources to assist people in the most extreme levels of hunger.
