THE UNITED NATIONS WORLD FOOD

Published purpose

February 2012 - The United Nations World Food Programme's (WFP) Immediate Response Account (IRA) is a special account that is set up to purchase and transport food in order to meet the most pressing needs, usually in the event of a natural disaster or other unexpected situations. Given that WFP is entirely voluntarily funded, it depends on donors in order to respond to the immediate food assistance needs of affected populations during humanitarian crises or natural disasters. The IRA therefore plays a critical role in filling in funding gaps, to ensure that the basic food needs of the most vulnerable populations are met in a timely manner. Historically, Canada has provided considerable support to the IRA, which is consistent with our desire to strengthen humanitarian agencies' rapid response capacities. This CIDA contribution allows WFP to make timely funding decisions based on wherever needs are the greatest.