The United Nations will spend $8 million on the first meeting of the Syrian Constitutional Committee in Geneva, including air travel, food and accommodation for 150 people, a Sputnik correspondent reported
GENEVA (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 28th October, 2019) The United Nations will spend $8 million on the first meeting of the Syrian Constitutional Committee in Geneva, including air travel, food and accommodation for 150 people, a Sputnik correspondent reported.Representatives of the government, the Syrian opposition and the civil society are expected to stay in three hotels not far from the airport.
According to a Sputnik correspondent, a single room costs 600-660 Swiss francs, or $602-663, for three nights between October 28 and October 31. This would amount to a total of 100,000 Swiss francs for all members of the delegations for three days. Meanwhile, many attendees will stay in Geneva until November 9.
The delegation members' meal plan includes, apart from regular meals, a dinner at the UN headquarters on the first day as well as working dinners with UN Special Envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen in one of Geneva's five-star hotels. All the costs related to the work of the committee, including travel, visas, security and other expenses, will amount to $2 million per day.
This money could buy between 40,000 and 67,000 food rations that UN's World Food Programme (WFP) is distributing. One such ration could last a five-person household somewhere between a week and a month.
The WFP provides two types of food rations, according to the program's senior spokesman, Herve Verhoosel.
"Standard WFP ration for the monthly General Food Assistance (GFA): The dry food ration costs approximately USD $50 per month and is designed to meet the needs of a family of five for one month. It includes items such as lentils, rice, oil, chickpeas, sugar, split peas, salt and wheat flour," Verhoosel told Sputnik.
The Ready-to-Eat Ration costs about $30 and can sustain a family of five for about a week, the spokesman said.
"It includes items like canned meat, canned vegetables, and hummus," Verhoosel added.
According to him, the WFP needs additional funding for its project in the northeast of Syria it lacks $10.8 million for October, November and December.
The committee is expected to work on constitutional projects. The launch of the body is scheduled for October 30.
