Republic of Korea and WFP deliver critical food assistance to 100,000 refugees and host communities in Ethiopia

Ethiopia hosts more than one million refugees and asylum-seekers, mainly from neighbouring Eritrea, Somalia, South Sudan and Sudan. Women and children make up nearly 80 percent of the refugee population, and many rely entirely on humanitarian assistance to meet their basic food needs. In refugee-hosting areas, local communities share already limited resources and services, while the lingering effects of recent droughts continue to strain livelihoods and drive humanitarian needs.

The contribution will help WFP maintain food assistance for refugees while supporting communities that continue to host people forced to flee conflict and insecurity in neighbouring countries.

"We are deeply grateful to the Government of the Republic of Korea for this generous and timely contribution," said Zlatan Milišić, WFP Representative and Country Director in Ethiopia. "At a time when humanitarian needs continue to outpace available resources, this donation will help WFP sustain life-saving food assistance for refugees while also supporting the communities that have welcomed them. The Republic of Korea's longstanding partnership plays an important role in ensuring vulnerable families are not left behind."

As the largest provider of food assistance to refugees in Ethiopia, WFP plans to support around one million refugees in 2026. Between January and July, WFP assisted 866,435 refugees across 30 camps in seven regions through a combination of in-kind food and cash-based assistance.

The Republic of Korea has been a steadfast partner in humanitarian and food security efforts in Ethiopia. Since 2022, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (MAFRA), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA), and the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) have contributed more than USD 60 million to support WFP operations in Ethiopia, helping provide food assistance, nutrition support and resilience programmes for refugees, internally displaced persons and vulnerable host communities.

With humanitarian needs high and resources increasingly stretched, sustained international support remains vital for refugees and vulnerable host communities.

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The United Nations World Food Programme is the world's largest humanitarian organization saving lives in emergencies and using food assistance to build a pathway to peace, stability and prosperity for people recovering from conflict, disasters and the impact of climate change.

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