Saturday, 16 February 2008

UN agency launches online tool to fight hunger in Cambodia

Fri, 15 Feb 2008
DPA

Phnom Penh - The UN launched an updated, online food security map Friday, In anticipation of the impact of climate change and rising oil prices on impoverished Cambodians. The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) said the Food Security Atlas would help "identifying areas of vulnerability and showing where improvement has taken place and where more intervention is needed."

"It illustrates the fact that food security goes far beyond sufficient food production, but is affected by poverty, maternal health, access to clean water and health services, as well as shocks such as natural disasters and other socio-economic vulnerability," WFP Cambodian Country Director Thomas Keusters said.

The agency said that despite Cambodia's "impressive economic and food security achievements in the recent past", some regions and social groups remained at serious risk of malnutrition.

WFP describes itself as the world's largest humanitarian agency, providing food to an average of 90 million people per year, including 61 million children, in at least 80 countries.

Many Cambodians still live on less than 1 dollar a day.

No comments: