China completes US$1M refugee aid project in Iran

Aid
​The Chinese embassy in Tehran on Tuesday signed a handover certificate with the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) to mark the successful conclusion of a 1-million-dollar refugee aid project.

XinhuaUpdated: February 14, 2018

The Chinese embassy in Tehran on Tuesday signed a handover certificate with the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) to mark the successful conclusion of a 1-million-dollar refugee aid project.

Under a deal signed with the WFP in August, 2017, the Chinese government donated US$1 million to the WFP for buying food for the refugees in Iran, mainly from Afghanistan and Iraq.

China and the WFP recognized the successful accomplishment of the aid project, which has fulfilled its original mission, according to the certificate.

Negar Gerami, the WFP representative in Iran, expressed gratitude to Chinese Ambassador to Iran Pang Sen, who attended the ceremony on behalf of the Chinese government.

After receiving the Chinese donation, the WFP bought 1,200 tons of emergency food to feed about 30,000 refugees, Gerami said.

As the procurement price of the food was lower than expected, the WFP managed to buy more food, achieving a better result than planned in helping those refugees, she noted.

Pang said that, though China has become the second largest economy already, it is still a developing country in terms of the GDP per capita.

He said China is willing to continue its aid within its capabilities to help other developing countries, especially the most undeveloped ones, to overcome poverty.

The Chinese envoy also highlighted the principles of China's donation policies, in which China's donation is provided without political aims, non-interference in the recipient countries' internal affairs, and respecting their legitimate rights to seek development in their own ways.