Celebrating 30 years of the UN-China World Food Program
- Source: Global Times
- [09:34 October 15 2009]
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By Xia Yubing
The United Nations World Food Program (WFP) celebrated 30 years of cooperation with China on October 13, 2009 at a ceremony held in Beijing. The legendary Chinese gymnast Li Ning was nominated as WFP's first Ambassador Against Hunger in China.
Niu Dun, the vice minister of Agriculture, expressed deep gratitude to WFP for activating its more than 70 food assistance projects in China since 1979, supporting the nation with more than $1 billion dollars in aid.
The program provided assistance to the nation in many fields such as alleviating hunger, women's rights, AIDS prevention and environmental protection, as well as emergency aid during the Sichuan earthquake last May. The UN-sponsored program has witnessed a significant change in the country's population – over the past 30 years, the average height of Chinese children has increased by six centimeters.
China proudly became a contributing nation when WFP ended its aid to the PRC in late 2005. According to Niu, so far the Chinese government donated over $33 million with plans to contribute $2.5 million more by the end of 2009.
Li, 46, has been celebrated as the 'Prince of Gymnastics' in China for decades. Li became a national sports icon after winning 6 medals at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles and was a natural choice to light the final torch at the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympic Games last summer. Moreover, Li's branded sports apparel, Li Ning, is the biggest sportswear company in China.
A long-time philanthropist, Li is also an ambassador of WildAid, an organization engaged in protecting endangered species. In 2008, Li was invited by the WFP to visit Lesotho to participate in China's food aid to the small African country,
