As the world grapples with escalating crises fueled by intensifying conflicts, the U.N. World Food Programme (WFP) has found a steadfast partner in Türkiye.
Türkiye serves as a critical hub for global food aid distribution, playing a vital role in the WFP's mission to alleviate hunger in some of the most vulnerable regions.
The country is the largest supplier of food for the program globally. Its strategic location has made it a vital conduit for aid delivery to conflict zones, including in Gaza and Ukraine.
Over the past two years, the WFP has spent about $500 million to purchase food in Türkiye to feed people worldwide, according to Stephen Cahill, the WFP's country director for Türkiye.
"We buy more food from Türkiye than any other country in the world," Cahill told Daily Sabah.
Türkiye's centrality is not merely logistical. It has acted as an intermediary facilitating the flow of aid across volatile borders.
"Türkiye has played a hugely important role, not only in Gaza but also in Ukraine, that brokerage, that middle man that they're able to move between one side of the other, trying really to look at what is the humanitarian crisis and how to avoid it," Cahill said.
Most of aid earm
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