UNITED NATIONS, May 23: Saudi Arabia on Friday announced a contribution of $500 million to the United Nations World Food Programme in response to the urgent appeal made by the UN body.

In a statement, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon welcomed what he called a contribution of “unprecedented size and generosity” which, he said, came not a moment too soon given the needs of the millions of hungry people the world over.

Making the announcement on Friday, UN spokesperson Marie Okabe also said the contribution by King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz completed the target of raising $755 million in response to the hike in fuel and food prices.