Dhaka, Bangladesh (BBN)- Brazil donated 7,000 tons of rice worth US$ 3.3 million to Bangladesh to help climate vulnerable people cope with the adverse impacts of natural disasters and climate change.
The United Nations World Food Program (WFP) in collaboration with the government will distribute the rice among about 400,000 climate vulnerable people to prepare for and cope with the impact of natural disasters and climate change, a WFP statement on Thursday.
The ultra-poor in the country will participate in communal infrastructure projects and training schemes in coastal and flood-prone areas. These projects are part of WFP's Enhancing Resilience (ER) to Disaster and the Effects of Climate Change Program, which aims to build the resilience of food-insecure households against the effects of extreme natural hazards and climate change.
This rice donation is the first contribution of Brazil government to WFP's food security programs in Bangladesh.
"This is the beginning of what we believe will be a very strong South-South partnership," said WFP Bangladesh Representative Christa Räder from an ER project site in Chilmari upazila of Kurigram.
"Brazil understands, as we do, that Bangladesh is ambitious. These kinds of partnerships will be very important for Bangladesh, not only for the Enhancing Resilience program, but beyond."
"What the world needs is solidarity. What the world requires is those that have more to be concerned about those that have less and help them with means to move ahead," said Brazilian chargé d'affaires Fausto Godoy.
"Brazil has travelled the long road of development; we are a developing country that is conscious of our responsibilities, and also our achievements.
BBN/SSR/AD-17Aug12-2:20 am (BST)
