A UN World Food Programme (WFP) regional director will address the challenges faced by the humanitarian community amid the worldwide financial downturn at an upcoming aid and development conference in Dubai.

WFP for the Mideast, Central Asia and Eastern Europe director Daly Belgasmi is set to speak at the Dubai International Humanitarian Aid & Development (DIHAD) conference, which will be held from April 7 to 9.

He will also participate in a panel on “Climate Change and the Global Financial & Food Crisis: How can Communities prepare and respond”.

WFP Field and Emergency Support office is based in Dubai’s International Humanitarian City, which provides logistical, procurement and other support for the UN’s humanitarian arm around the world.

Dubai also serves as one of the principle hubs for the UN Humanitarian Response Depot network. This WFP-managed emergency logistics facility delivers humanitarian relief items worldwide within 24 to 48 hours.

This year, the WFP, the world's largest humanitarian agency, aims to feed 100 million people in around 77 countries.

The UN’s frontline agency for hunger solutions called last December for a ‘human rescue package’ as it needs to raise $5.2 billion to meet urgent hunger needs. – TradeArabia News Service