Iranian news agency joins UN in fight against hunger

The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has announced a new partnership with Iran’s Cultural Heritage News Agency (CHN) aimed at raising awareness and generating funding for relief operations.

As part of an agreement signed last week, WFP and CHN launched a Tourism against Hunger campaign in which the news agency, whose 100 journalists and photographers specialize on covering issues related to Iran’s cultural heritage and tourism, will provide news coverage of all relevant WFP activities throughout the country.

CHN will also provide technical assistance to develop WFP’s Farsi/English website, provide translation services as well as help develop a local advocacy strategy that will include the production of news packages, publications and advertisements.

“The partnership between WFP and CHN is yet another sign of how WFP can work with the private sector in raising awareness,” said Robert Hauser, WFP’s Representative in Iran.

WFP opened an office in Iran in 1971 and was active in several projects requiring food assistance until 1979. At the request of the Government, the agency resumed activities in 1987 and today provides food assistance to over 26,000 Afghan refugees and 4,800 Iraqi refugees in Iran.

In addition, in 2003, WFP provided emergency food assistance to nearly 100,000 survivors of the Bam earthquake and who were gradually able to re-establish their livelihoods.