The Ambassador of the Republic of Korea (RoK) to Iran visited one of the settlements under WFP assistance in Yazd
The Ambassador of the Republic of Korea (RoK) to Iran, H.E. Kim, Seung-Ho, visited one of the settlements under WFP assistance on 10 and 11 May 2017. The visit to Ansar settlement in Taft, in the province of Yazd, was organized to give the Ambassador an opportunity to see first-hand how WFP utilized funds received from the RoK to provide food assistance and education support to vulnerable refugees. In 2016, RoK made an unprecedented contribution of 4 million dollars to WFP in Iran, becoming the largest donor to the Protracted Relief and Recovery Project PRRO 200310 for 30,000 Afghan and Iraqi refugees residing in 20 settlements all across Iran.
During the two-day visit to the province, Ambassador Kim, Seung-Ho and accompanying delegation met with Yazd Governor General, Taft Governor and the Director General of Yazd Bureau for Alien and Foreign Immigrants Affairs (BAFIA) who is WFP’s counterpart and implementing partner.
In Ansar settlement, the Ambassador had a chance to visit the homes of refugees, talk to them, visit the primary school and meet with the school principal and school girls who receive education incentives from WFP.
At the WFP warehouse, the ambassador handed over a symbolic pack of pasta to a family of six, who were representing the refugee community.
The Ambassador also visited a milling factory in Yazd where wheat flour purchased with the contribution of RoK is bagged and delivered to all settlements under WFP assistance.
With the Rok contribution, WFP has purchased to date 1162 metric tons of cereals, 153 metric tons of fortified vegetable oil, 69 metric tons of sugar and 344 metric tons of pulses and textured soy protein. A further 2,722 metric tons of mixed commodities will be purchased with the remaining funds until the end of 2017.
During a dinner hosted by the Governor General of Yazd province, the Ambassador praised the generosity of the Iranian government and people for hosting refugees for many years. He said: “Yazd is the city of history, wisdom and spirituality, since it is one of the most ancient cities and wise enough to catch wind, and most of all tolerant enough, sympathetic enough to receive refugees in a large number.
The generosity and hospitality of taking care of refugees will be paid back and rewarded. Because you must invest in people if you want prepare for the next 100 years. And among the refugees taken care of in Yazd, someone will grow into a big figure to contribute to Iranian development, just like the new Korean President Moon who used to be a refugee 60 years ago.”
The WFP Representative in Iran, Negar Gerami, also expressed her deep appreciation for the ROK contribution saying: “The earmarking of such a generous contribution to our project in Iran at a time of many competing priorities is extremely valuable to us. We are humbled by this generosity and hope the people and Government of Republic of Korea will continue to support WFP in 2018 and beyond.”
