ANKARA

Flexible funding and stable funding would help bridge the funding gap in humanitarian aid, the World Food Program's executive director said on Tuesday.

"WFP is making very painful choices as a result of this as to how we can assist. ... And so private partnerships are now a large part of what we're doing," Executive Director Cindy McCain said at the European Humanitarian Forum in Brussels.

She explained that flexible funding is important to bridge the funding gap, and added: "More flexible funding that, as you know, we can find, we can find direct funds wherever they're needed, and we can place them where they're needed in a fast and efficient way."

McCain also thanked the Nordic countries and Belgium for their response.

"Predictability is a large part also what we're increasing, and making much more robust within our organization. These are stable funding helps, and these things help us plan more efficiently and more effectively," the executive director added.

She emphasized that the WFP is "stepping up the engagement to explore closer collaboration with national governments."

New narrative about humanitarian action

Anton Leis Garcia, the director of Spanish Agency for International Development, said for his part that humanitarian aid should adopt a new narrative, and not be looked at just as a solidarity action.

"What is happening in Gaza has direct implications in our security, in the security of this world. What is happening with investing in climate, in resilience, in adaptation, investing in anticipatory action anywhere in the world, it's also good for our citizens," Garcia said.

"We need civil society, we need also the private sector," he also stressed.

Israel launched a destructive military campaign in Gaza in response to an Oct. 7 attack by the Palestinian group Hamas, which Tel Aviv said killed around 1,200 people.

More than 31,700 Palestinians have since been killed, the majority of the 2.3 million population has been displaced, and many are starving amid a worsening humanitarian catastrophe.

The two-day European Humanitarian Forum 2024 will conclude on Tuesday.