The United States contributed an additional $8 million to help the government of Pakistan meet the food and nutritional needs of the internally displaced people (IDPs) from the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA).  The contribution, provided through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), is part of the ongoing efforts of the U.S. government and the United Nations' World Food Program (WFP) under the Twinning Program.  

 

The Twinning Program is a partnership between the Government of Pakistan, WFP, and the international donor community through which wheat donated by the Government of Pakistan is transformed into fortified wheat flour and distributed in the most vulnerable communities.  Donor funds are used to cover the costs of milling, fortification, storage, transport, and distribution of the wheat flour.  This new commitment by the U.S. government will enable WFP to transform approximately 38,000 metric tons of wheat into fortified wheat flour, providing more nutritional food for the IDPs over a two-month period.

Since the Twinning Program began in 2013, the Government of Pakistan has taken a leading role in the partnership by donating 201,000 metric tons of wheat to the WFP.  With this contribution of $8 million, USAID is now the largest international donor to the program, providing a total of $31 million in support - enough to fortify 60 percent of the wheat donated by the Government of Pakistan.

 

"The United States' commitment to the Twinning Program is a demonstration of our support to the internally displaced population from the FATA and the incredibly important partnership between the Government of Pakistan, WFP, and the international community," said USAID Acting Mission Director, Nancy Estes.

 

The United States has a long-standing history of, and commitment to, working together with Pakistan to provide humanitarian assistance and support human and social development.  In 2014, USAID provided over $60 million in food assistance to Pakistan, in addition to the $8 million in support of the Twinning Program.  Since 2009, the United States has provided over $1.4 billion in humanitarian assistance to Pakistan, making it the largest bilateral provider of humanitarian assistance.