Brasília – The Ministry of Foreign Relations, Itamaraty, released on Friday (26) a portal on the country’s cooperation in international humanitarian cooperation. Developed by the General Coordination for International Actions for Hunger Alleviation, the portal, which may be visited at address http://cooperacaohumanitaria.itamaraty.gov.br brings information regarding actions for emergency assistance provided by the government of Brazil, as well as publications on the theme. According to the Itamaraty, it will also be a space for formal communication on humanitarian matters and for presentation of guidelines and priorities for international cooperation.
Apart from providing visibility to the actions of Brazil, the portal is aimed at stimulating the debate on the part played by the country in emergency situations and humanitarian crises, in the matter of food safety and in the theme of reduction of the risk of disasters. The new web page is also aimed at dialogue with the civil society.
According to the government, since 2011, the country has donated, in partnership with the World Food Programme (WFP), over 300,000 tonnes of food to 35 countries, among them Bolivia, Cuba, Ecuador, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Gambia, Honduras, Uganda, Mozambique, Niger, Senegal and Zimbabwe. Brazilian contributions to the programme rose from US$ 1 million, in 2007, to US$ 82 million in 2012, which places the country among the world’s ten main donors to the WFP.
Since 2003, the government has been contributing to humanitarian actions in over 50 countries, most in Latin America, the Caribbean, Africa and Asia, according to the ministry.
During the release of Global Humanitarian Actions 2013, in March, the Itamaraty announced that the government plans to turn US$ 1 million this year to the United Nations fund for humanitarian actions.
*Translated by Mark Ament