As coordinator of the African Group (List A) on the Executive Board of the World Food Programme (WFP), Morocco pointed out on Monday in Rome the misappropriation of humanitarian funds in Africa at a time when “funding is becoming increasingly scarce”.
The Kingdom’s ambassador to the UN organizations in Rome, Youssef Balla, told the annual session of the WFP Executive Board, held from 26 to 30 June, that “the A-list takes very seriously the problem of humanitarian misappropriation, which is unacceptable at a time when funding is becoming increasingly scarce and crises are multiplying”.
According to the Moroccan diplomat, “It is unacceptable that donors’ generosity in saving lives should be misappropriated and exploited for other purposes, in particular by armed militias and cooperating partners”, pointing out that over 60% of fraud and misappropriation is committed by cooperating partners.
On another note, Mr. Balla stressed that food aid should be made sustainable, in particular through activities to strengthen resilience, including in emergency interventions, but above all in structural and protracted crises, to avoid dependence on food aid.
“We consider that the WFP has reached the maturity and experience required to prevent food crises of various origins and to develop policies based on prevention rather than reaction, and on investment rather than expenditure”, he continued.
Indeed, the ambassador also stressed the need to avoid any politicization of the Organisation’s action, inviting the WFP, on behalf of the A-list, to focus on structural crises.
Addressing Her Majesty Queen Máxima Zorreguieta of the Netherlands, guest of honor at the annual session, the Moroccan diplomat emphasized the crucial importance of food security at a time when the “need to adapt to limited resources is becoming ever more pressing”, noting that several challenges are hampering the development of African smallholders and weakening their resilience.
It should be noted that Morocco was elected to the WFP Executive Board in December 2020 for three years.