World Food Programme responds to humanitarian crisis as thousands of people flee into Armenia

YEREVAN – The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) is ramping up its efforts to assist people who have recently arrived at the Armenian border. As of Friday, the Armenian government confirmed that more than 100,000 individuals have sought refuge in Armenia since 23 September.

This number of people arriving at the border has surged dramatically in recent days, leading to extended queues at border crossings. Among them are elderly people and many children. Those arriving at the border are often in a state of exhaustion and need immediate emergency aid, including hot meals and other food assistance.

WFP has constructed facilities at Goris, near the border in the southeastern province of Syunik, to serve hot meals to people entering Armenia. More than 2,000 hot meals were distributed to people crossing the border on Thursday. WFP plans to scale up to provide 21,000 meals in the next two weeks.

WFP is also providing food parcels containing protein-rich food items, grains and cooking oil for 30,000 people. In addition, WFP is ready to provide food cards to support more than 6,000 individuals and, working with partners and donors, to scale up further according to needs.

"We are deeply concerned about the impact on the lives and livelihoods of civilians. As the situation evolves, it is important that affected people receive timely and continued humanitarian support," said Nanna Skau, WFP Representative and Country Director in Armenia.