Marking a shift in Tigray’s humanitarian response, the government of the United States officially transitioned its food aid operations from World Food Programme (WFP) to Joint Emergency Operation Program (JEOP), led by Catholic Relief Services (CRS), during a stakeholder event held in Mekelle on July 15, 2025.
In his opening remarks, Country Director of Catholic Relief Services (CRS), who is now representing JEOP, Zemede Zewdie highlighted the commitment of JEOP and its partners to ensuring transparent, efficient, and community-based food assistance in Tigray. He emphasized that the smooth transition is designed to improve accountability and local engagement in humanitarian operation in three phases.
Speaking on behalf of the World Food Programme (WFP), Robert Ackatia acknowledged the longstanding partnership between WFP and the U.S. government in delivering emergency aid to crisis-affected populations. He welcomed the new arrangement and expressed WFP’s continued support to the people of Tigray through technical coordination and targeted interventions. He also assured that WFP will continue its support to the most vulnerable Internally Displaced Persons, providing not only food assistance but also non food support, and he emphasized to advocating the concerned bodies to bring sustainable solution to the IDPs.
During the event, Head of the Tigray Regional Disaster Risk Management Commission, Gebrehiwot Gebregziher (Phd) reaffirmed the importance of collaborative humanitarian efforts. He stressed the need for inclusive coordination among all actors to ensure timely and equitable distribution of assistance to vulnerable communities. “This transition comes at a crucial time when our people continue to face immense challenges,” he indicated. He noted that there are more than 2.4 million people in critical need in Tigray, but the humanitarian assistance is only given to less than 2 million people. He also stressed that fuel crises is another problem to deliver the assistance on time.
In his concluding remark, senior official from the U.S. Embassy, Tim Stein underlined the U.S. government’s unwavering support for the people of Tigray. He commended the efforts of both WFP and JEOP and reiterated that the U.S. will continue to prioritize the delivery of life-saving aid to those in need. .
The transition to JEOP is expected to enhance community participation, streamline logistics, and reinforce monitoring systems in food aid distribution. With CRS and its partners now at the forefront, the shift reflects a growing emphasis on locally driven humanitarian response and accountability.
