"We are committed to continuing to support the Russian market by purchasing from Russian farmers," WFP head and deputy UN Secretary General, Ertharin Cousin, said at a press conference in Moscow.
The head of the United Nation's largest humanitarian agency bent on fighting hunger, stressed the WFP did not wish to "get involved in politics". "We are pleased, that the [sanctions] situation does not get in the way of our work with Russia," she maintained.
Cousin is on a working visit in Moscow where she met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov earlier in the day. She stressed that having the voice of a leader like a foreign minister could "solidify" the relationship for the whole humanitarian community.
The WFP chief said the meeting with Lavrov ended with the signing of "a strategic partnership agreement with the Russian government". "Not just with one agency, but the whole government together," she emphasized.
According to the UN food official, Russia has pledged to contribute $64 million to the UN food program this year, with a total of $5 billion in aid expected to come from all over the world.
"Russia has become a very important and valuable partner for WFP. It is one of our top 20 donors," Cousin noted.
One of the agreements includes Russia's commitment to provide the UN agency with Kamaz trucks to help it deliver food to hard-to-reach areas in Africa and Central Asia, specifically to Afghanistan and to South Sudan, which has recently marked a year of armed conflict.
"The trucks have become a valuable part of the WFP fleet," Cousin pointed out, saying the WFP's "ultimate goal" is to ensure that every person has the ability to feed themselves and that is where Russian Kamaz trucks come into play.
Lavrov and Cousin also discussed the ongoing effort to roll back the deadly Ebola virus outbreak, including plans to open a center of excellence in Russia.
The World Food Programme is 100-percent voluntarily funded. It was established in 1963 to alleviate hunger and promote food security across the globe. In 2011, it was able to reach 99 million people in 75 countries, providing them with 4.5 million tons of food, according to WFP data.
