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| [PHOTO: Petty Officer 1st Class Carmichael Yepez/DVIDSHUB/CC BY 2.0] |
Baghdad: A new report by the UN World Food Programme (WFP) and the
Government of Iraq shows that the number of Iraqis who are food insecure has
decreased by more than quarter of a million compared to 2007.
Entitled Food Security, Living Conditions and Social
Transfers in Iraq, the report, jointly conducted by the Government of Iraq and
WFP, was launched on Monday in a ceremony at the Council of Ministers
Secretariat (COMSEC). The Secretary General of COMSEC and the President of the
Public Distribution System (PDS) Reform Committee H.E. Ali Muhsin Ismail
Al-Alak, WFP Representative and Country Director Edward Kallon and the Senior
Deputy Minister of Planning Dr. Mahdi M. Al-Alak presented the report.
The survey found that the rates of food insecurity in Iraq
fell from 7.1 percent in 2007 - affecting 2.2 million Iraqis - to 5.7 percent
in 2011, affecting 1.9 million people. The Basra governorate was the
most-affected – with half a million food insecure people living there –
followed by Baghdad, Thi Qar and Ninewa.
The report sheds light on the vital role of the public
distribution system (PDS) in ensuring food security and decent living standards
for the poorest households.
“The Public Distribution System, which was established over
two decades ago to help the Iraqi population avoid widespread hunger in the
aftermath of war and subsequent sanctions, continues its role as a safety net
against hunger, providing crucial support to millions of poor and vulnerable
Iraqis today,” said WFP’s Kallon.
“The efforts made by our partners in the Government of Iraq,
which are visible in the analysis and recommendations of this report, represent
a solid step forward towards achieving our common goal of food security for all
in Iraq,” he said.
The report presents an analysis of the cost effectiveness of
a poverty-targeted PDS in achieving improved food security and compares it to
three possible alternatives: replacing the food basket with direct cash
transfers to the poor; distributing the current food basket to those under the
poverty line using electronic food vouchers; and using electronic cards to
target the poor with alternative food baskets.