SECRETARY BLINKEN:  Well, thank you.  Thank you.  It’s wonderful to be here.  I’ve had the opportunity over many years to be engaged on behalf of the U.S. Government with the World Food Program.  The United States is very proud to be the leading contributor by far to the World Food Program, and I think it’s a recognition of the fact that we see around the world, both in the places that you mentioned and so many other places, that on the one hand conflict is a driver of food insecurity and the suffering that follows, but food insecurity can also be a driver of conflict.  And no one is doing more than the World Food Program to try to cut that knot and to address the urgent needs of so many people around the world, but in so doing also help alleviate or prevent conflict.

For the United States, this – you are a vital partner, and this is true for countries around the world.  Overall we remain by far the largest provider of humanitarian assistance in the world, but as I said, for the World Food Program in particular we’re proud to be the number one contributor.  So I was anxious, being in Rome for this G7, to have an opportunity to hear directly from you, from people who are on the front lines, to hear what the most pressing needs are, what we can do in the United States to help you address those needs to make the program even more effective.

So I’m really grateful for this opportunity today, but, more to the point, grateful for what you’re doing every single day.  We were just down at the memorial wall, and it’s a stark reminder that the extraordinary men and women of the World Food Program are putting their lives on the line every single day to help those who are in urgent need.  And I can’t tell you how grateful we are for that, how much we appreciate it, and how much we’re determined to work hand in hand with you going forward to try to address the needs of so many people around the world.  Thanks for having us today.