Humanitarian efforts must expand in conflict-torn Syria to guarantee people's basic food needs and China can contribute to the process through mediation and funding, a senior UN official said on Thursday.

Muhannad Hadi, the UN World Food Programme's emergency coordinator for Syria, is on a four-day visit to Beijing amid the escalating humanitarian crisis in Syria.

"The current situation in Syria is very challenging, definitely not improving," Hadi told China Daily. "The number of people being affected inside and outside Syria is about one-third of the Syrian population, approximately 7 million people.

"Almost all sectors of the Syrian economy are being affected," Hadi said. "People are no longer able to secure their food needs. They've lost their jobs and sources of income."

The 47-year-old Jordanian has more than 22 years of extensive professional experience with the UN and NGOs. He was WFP's representative and country director in Syria before being appointed to his current position.

"China and the rest of the world can actually talk to both sides of the conflict to convince them to end it as soon as possible," he said.

On his first trip to China, Hadi is scheduled to meet officials from the ministries of agriculture and foreign affairs to exchange opinions on the situation in Syria and explore opportunities for cooperation.

"China has made donations to WFP in previous years and we count on the support of the Chinese government," Hadi said.

"The way to help the WFP is simply by asking both sides of the conflict to grant the WFP more access inside Syria, so that we can reach people there wherever they are to fulfill our mandate," he said.

The UN agency now has a staff of 140 Syrians and 20 international workers operating in all 14 governorates of the country. The organization aims to feed 4 million people inside Syria and 2 million Syrian refugees in neighboring countries by the end of 2013.

"We deliver food in packages, and each package is enough for one month for a family of five, in both government-controlled areas and opposition-controlled areas," Hadi said.

Syria now has a huge need for food and money to guarantee the supply, which hinges on the cooperation between both sides in the conflict, he said.

"Imagine that a mother depends on WFP's food to feed her children. If she cannot receive our food, what will she use to feed her children? How can she let her children go to sleep with empty stomachs? This breaks our hearts when we are in the field," Hadi said.

The WFP, which has been operating in Syria for 40 years, is also providing logistical support, such as transporting people, food items and medical equipment to other UN agencies.

However, the personal safety of WFP workers is constantly under threat, Hadi acknowledged, saying that WFP vehicles have been shot and agency staff members kidnapped many times.

Zhang Fan contributed to this story.

puzhendong@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 09/13/2013 page12)