TEHRAN – The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) welcomes a new US$2.2 million multi-year contribution from the Republic of Korea to support 30,000 of the most vulnerable Afghan refugees living in settlements in the Islamic Republic of Iran.

WFP will use the funds to provide both cash and food assistance to meet refugee families’ most pressing needs, and promote girls’ education and women’s livelihoods, in 20 settlements in 13 provinces across the country. 
 
“We are grateful to the Korean people for their continued generosity towards refugees in Iran,” said WFP Representative and Country Director in Iran, Negar Gerami. “The Republic of Korea remains one of WFP’s top donors in Iran, having contributed US$5.4 million since 2014.”  
 
Cash assistance introduced this year enables refugee families to buy the food of their choice and diversify their dietary intake. It also gives a boost to the local economy, particularly in markets in and around settlements.
 
“It is my great pleasure to be able to make this contribution to the meaningful project of improving food security and livelihood of refugees in the Islamic Republic of Iran through WFP, continuing our close partnership throughout the last five years. I hope that this project will facilitate the betterment of living standards of the large number of Refugees in Iran, reaffirming the Korean Government’s firm commitment to provide humanitarian assistance in the future.” said Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to Iran, Ryu Jeong-Hyun.
 
Iran hosts the world’s fourth largest refugee population, with nearly 980,000 registered Afghan and Iraqi refugees.
 
WFP has been providing assistance to refugees in Iran since the arrival of the first asylum seekers from Afghanistan and Iraq in the late 1980s.
 
The United Nations World Food Programme - saving lives in emergencies and changing lives for millions through sustainable development. WFP works in more than 80 countries around the world, feeding people caught in conflict and disasters, and laying the foundations for a better future.