CANADA SUPPORTS WFP’S LIFE-SAVING WORK IN IRAQ

WFP focuses on women and youth in all its work, including with Canada’s funding, through innovative urban livelihood projects that provided vocational and skills training to those most in need in cities and towns, while also teaching online marketing. In the long term, such activities support participants to provide a living for themselves and their families.

“This multi-year contribution from Canada has enabled WFP to continue providing monthly food assistance to the most vulnerable families, alongside helping people rebuild their lives,” said WFP Iraq Representative Ally-Raza Qureshi. “Such activities are helping change the lives of Iraqis who are returning home and trying to get back on their feet after conflict, through our resilience-building and livelihood-generating projects, which also foster entrepreneurship.”

 In 2021, over half of WFP’s participants from urban livelihoods were women. With its multi-year approach, Canada’s contribution allowed WFP to effectively plan its assistance to support those most in need.

 Last year, WFP also completed a gender transformative programme through the enhanced integration and mainstreaming of gender throughout all planning and implementation levels of its activities. This builds upon years of working towards improving gender equality and having policies and strategies on the ground to ensure prioritizing women and girls.

 WFP is grateful to the Government of Canada and its people for their continued and steadfast support to the most vulnerable families in Iraq, especially women-headed households, and their children.