By Mehdi El-Namer
ROME, Nov 20 (KUNA) -- Kuwait is taking pioneering steps to link between its efforts within the humanitarian domain and Sustainable Development Goals, said Kuwait's representative to the UN's World Food Programme (WFP) Yusuf Jhail.
Participants in the second annual session of the program's executive council, held last week, have agreed on the human factor in achieving sustainable development, Jhail, who's chairing the council told KUNA on Monday.
The meeting also agreed on the responsibility of UN member-countries in supporting reforms in different UN bodies, including WFP to boost their performance to meet the UN's Sustainable Development Goals 2030 (SDGs) and create a hunger-free world, he said.
The work of the WFP had moved from providing food aid to those in need to providing job opportunities, education and means of development aiming to fight poverty and hunger, he noted.
Meanwhile, Jhail said Kuwait had executed hundreds of projects in poor countries in Asia and Africa, worth over USD 16 billion, aiming to develop these countries and end hunger.
He added that the meeting came out with vital decisions including funding ongoing humanitarian rescue operations and closely monitoring the performance of the program to ensure delivery of food aid to all those in need.
The executive council includes 36 of the UN member-countries and is tasked with monitoring and evaluating the program's projects and performance. The council presents annual reports to the UN's Economic and Social Council and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) on the outcome of WFP's operations.
WFP provides food aid to about 80 million people in over 80 countries each year. (end) mn.ag