Israel
and Jewish Organizations Help to
Eradicate Poverty in Africa
(IFM) As
part of the international community’s effort to eradicate poverty,
the State of Israel and American-Jewish organizations have
contributed $118,000 to assist the starving in Africa. Israel
has decided that the funds donated will be distributed by the
World Food Programme (WFP) to the countries of Mauritania,
Malawi and Kenya.
Israel was
among the first countries to respond positively to the appeals
of UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan and the Head of the World
Food Programme which were directed to the Foreign Minister.
At the same time, Jewish organizations in the United States
responded positively to Israel’s appeal, and enlisted to provide
joint humanitarian assistance. The Jewish organizations are:
UJA – Federation of New York, American Jewish Committee, United
Jewish Communities of Metro West (NJ), UJA Federation of Northern
New Jersey.
The decision
to allot the donations to the aforementioned three countries
was based upon the joint assessment of Israel and the UN, since
the countries are located in a region which has the most pressing
humanitarian needs.
The UN Secretary-General,
Kofi Annan, has prioritized the eradication of poverty and
hunger, as part of the UN Millennium Development Goals. The
UN has therefore expressed its appreciation to the State of
Israel, which together with the American-Jewish organizations,
confronted one of the most pressing issues on the UN agenda
– starvation in Africa.
Israel’s
readiness to share its experience and know-how, and its contribution
to the UN Millennium Development Goals, reflect the importance
it attaches to its enlistment in humanitarian activities which
top the international community’s agenda.