UN boosts food aid budget to feed a third of Lebanon

By KAREEM CHEHAYEB
Associated Press

BEIRUT (AP) — The United Nations World Food Program has increased its food aid to cash-strapped Lebanon, effectively feeding a third of the struggling nation’s population. Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati Tuesday announced the developments after meeting with the WFP’s Lebanon Country Director Abdallah Alwardat. The tiny Mediterranean nation of about six million people is in the grip of its worst economic and financial crisis in its modern history. Three three-quarters of its population has plunged into poverty since late 2019, and the country suffers from some of the worst food inflation worldwide. The WFP  has allocated $5.4 billion for the next three years, increasing its annual food aid by $500 million. The assistance will support 1 million Lebanese and 1 million Syrian refugees.