The contribution will benefit some 50,000 people, including 2,900 pregnant women and over 44,600 vulnerable people in the central provinces of Villa Clara and Cienfuegos, Mongolian Ambassador to Cuba Zoljargal Seseer said at the official handover of the donation.
For this purpose, the WFP acquired 400 metric tons (mt) of rice, 107 mt of cooking oil and 250 mt of grains, the ambassador informed.
Seseer highlighted the close and historic ties of solidarity between the two peoples, established since 1960 when Cuba became the first country in Latin American and the Caribbean to establish diplomatic relations with Mongolia, ties that have been strengthened in recent years.
“The quality of a friend is known at difficult times, a proverb says,” the ambassador stressed and added, “This humanitarian aid is an expression of the affectionate feelings of the Mongolian people for the Cuban people, who are going through complex social and economic times.”
It also marks a historic milestone, as it is one of the first times Mongolia donates funds to the organization here, reaffirming its international solidarity and commitment to zero hunger, the WFP office in Cuba reported.
“This donation is part of the WFP’s work to contribute to the country’s socioeconomic recovery,” the United Nations agency’s representative in Cuba, Etienne Labande, pointed out.
Labande ratified the WFP’s commitment to support national authorities in promoting the consumption of nutritious food among vulnerable groups.
The general director for Cooperation at the Ministry of Foreign Trade, Alba Rosa Alarcon, expressed her gratitude on behalf of the Cuban people and Government for the contribution.
She praised Mongolia’s effort in favor of food in Cuba and indicated that the deliveries of the first cycle of the module have already been made.
She pointed out that in a complex situation, aggravated by the tightening of the US economic, commercial and financial blockade against Cuba and the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, this gesture of sisterhood is an unprecedented event, which enriches the values that underpin bilateral relations.
The food will be distributed through local warehouses, as part of the standard family food basket.
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