U. N. World Food Program, David Beasley (The head of the Nobel Prize-winning), has warned that the world will see mass migration, destabilized countries, and starving children and adults in the next 12 to 18 months if billions of dollars more are not raised to feed millions of hungry people. He praised increased funding from the United States and Germany last year but urged China, Gulf nations, billionaires, and other countries to step up.
Beasley said WFP needs about $23 billion this year to help millions of needy people but he doubts they will raise that much. The world’s second-largest economy, China, gave just $11 million last year, and Beasley said they need to engage in the multilateral world and be willing to provide critical help. Muslim nations with ties to East Africa, the Sahara, and other Middle Eastern countries, including Gulf countries with high oil prices, have the potential to contribute more.
Beasley said billionaires could step up and help in the short-term crisis, but in the long-term, he would like to see them engage in the world’s greatest need, which is food on the planet to feed 8 billion people. The next 12 to 18 months are critical, and if funding is cut, there will be mass migration, destabilized nations, mass migration and starvation among children and people around the world, he warned.
Leaders have to prioritize the humanitarian needs that are going to have the greatest impact on stability in societies around the world, and priority places include Africa’s Sahel region, the Middle East, and Central and South America. McCain, the widow of US Senator John McCain from Arizona, is the new U.S. ambassador to Rome-based WFP and the U.N. World Food program and Agriculture Organization, and Beasley believes she is the right person to lead the U.N. World Food Program.
The world is in the midst of a hunger crisis, with more than 820 million people suffering from chronic undernourishment. In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated the problem, and it is estimated that the number of people suffering from hunger has increased by more than 118 million people in just one year. These numbers are staggering, and the situation is dire. The world needs to come together and provide the funding necessary to feed those who are suffering from hunger.
David Beasley’s warning that mass migration, destabilized countries, and starving children and adults are imminent if billions of dollars are not raised to feed millions of hungry people must be taken seriously. The next 12 to 18 months are critical, and if funding is cut, the consequences will be catastrophic. The world must act now and provide the necessary funding to avert this crisis.
Although Beasley appreciated the augmented funding from the US and Germany in the previous year, he called for other nations to take action. China, which is the second-largest global economy, only contributed $11 million compared to the US’s $22 per person donation. Gulf countries, especially Muslim nations with ties to regions in East Africa, the Sahara, and the Middle East, can also do more. Beasley noted that the wealthiest billionaires made record profits during the COVID-19 pandemic and believes that they could help alleviate the current crisis in the short term. However, in the long-term, Beasley would like to see billionaires engage in the world’s greatest need, which is food on the planet to feed 8 billion people.
According to Beasley, given the planet’s $400 trillion wealth, there is no justification for any child to perish due to malnutrition. Beasley emphasizes the importance of leaders prioritizing the most significant humanitarian needs that will promote stability in societies globally. The Sahel region in Africa, the Middle East, and Central and South America are some of the priority regions.
