Libya New Partnership Tender

The International Organization for Migration IOM and the United Nations World Food Programme WFP have partnered to help improve food security and nutrition for vulnerable communities including migrants affected by COVID-19 in Libya with the support from the European Union EU.This partnership comes as part of a broader EU project Protecting most vulnerable populations from the COVID-19 pandemic in Libya. As part of this 20 million programme funded by the EU IOM and WFP are providing ready-to-eat food assistance to vulnerable migrants living in urban areas internally displaced persons IDPs returnees and host communities who have lost their livelihoods due to COVID-19.There are around 700000 people in Libya who are in need of food and livelihood assistance including 123000 migrants and 76000 displaced persons according to the Libya Food Security Sector co-led by WFP.More than a year into the pandemic the situation for vulnerable populations in the country continues to be particularly alarming as they remain at higher risk ofcontractingthe virus due to the socio-economic impacts that deprived them of livelihoods.EU Ambassador to Libya Jos Sabadell said The COVID-19 pandemic has severely aggravated the already difficult living conditions of many people in Libya both Libyans who had been affected by conflict and the many migrants in the country as well as their host communities. Providing food and most basic support to these most vulnerable people is an important aspect of our partnership with Libya in responding to the global coronavirus crisis.Since the beginning of 2021 when the Libyan government introduced a new unified exchange rate migrants living conditions have become increasingly challenging as the prices of some imported goods such as vegetable oil and milk has increased by 60 percent.IOM Libya Chief of Mission Federico Soda said This assistance comes at a critical point for many vulnerable migrants who have been impacted by both the increased prices of essential commodities including food and limited or loss of income due to the lack of employment opportunities.Cost and affordability of food and other core items remain the main obstacle for migrants in Libya the latest IOM-DTM Migrant Report found while many of them have poor or borderline food consumption which is a precondition for a weaker immune system. A joint IOM-WFP assessment is currently ongoing to shed more light on the food security status of migrants in Libya.We are grateful for the EUs strong partnership and commitment to supporting the most vulnerable migrants in Libya who simply cannot afford to meet their basic food needs said WFP Representative and Country Director in Libya Rawad Halabi. As soaring prices push a basic meal beyond the reach of many a coordinated response is required now more than ever to prevent an alarming deterioration in food security and stop people sinking deeper into poverty and hunger.During the two-year-long project IOMs Migrant Resource and Response Mechanism MRRM mobile teams will provide emergency food assistance kits supplied by WFP to vulnerable migrants in Algatroun Bani Waleed Benghazi Ghat Sabha Tripoli and Zwara.Food kits contain essential ready-to-eat items such as canned beans tuna and halawa that will last over a month.