Later this year, WFP will present to the Executive Board a paper which will set out the rationale for this investment and seek approval for strengthened programming in this field. In developing participatory approaches, WFP has placed particular emphasis on ensuring the participation of women as well as men. Women are to have a substantial voice in local decision-making concerning the management of food aid and the assets created, for example. These and other measures to ensure the access and participation of women are incorporated not only in WFP's own planning process but also in agreements with implementing partners. Staff are trained in working with partners on more equitable measures to select beneficiaries, design activities, manage food commodities, and develop food aid programmes in partnership with women's literacy and leadership development programmes.
Further work is needed on the monitoring and evaluation of participation.
Experience has shown that country offices need support in the definition of indicators, methodology for information collection, and for data analysis and reporting. In the nineties, WFP food purchases in developing countries were three times greater than in the eighties. Some 20 percent of the food aid provided through WFP is purchased in developing countries. About 75 percent for emergency relief, for which timeliness of supply is often of paramount importance. Purchases in developing countries often also prove to be the most cost-effective source when transport costs are taken into account.