AP – Without billions of dollars more to feed millions of hungry people, the world will see mass migration, destabilised countries, and starving children and adults in the next 12 to 18 months, the head of the Nobel prize-winning United Nations (UN) World Food Program (WFP) warned.
David Beasley praised increased funding from the United States (US) and Germany last year, and urged China, billionaires and other countries “to step up big time”.
In an interview, the former South Carolina governor said he’s “extremely worried” that WFP won’t raise about USD23 billion it needs this year to help millions of needy people
“Right at this stage, I’ll be surprised if we get 40 per cent of it, quite frankly,” he said.
Last year, Beasley raised USD14.2 billion for WFP, more than double the USD6 billion in 2017, the year he took over as executive director. That money helped over 128 million people in over 120 countries and territories.
Beasley said he was able to convince the United States (US) last year to increase its funding from about USD3.5 billion to USD7.4 billion and Germany to raise its contribution from USD350 million a few years ago to USD1.7 billion, but he doesn’t think they’ll do it again this year.
Other countries need to step up now, he said, starting with China, the world’s second-largest economy which gave WFP USD11 million last year.
Beasley said China has done “an incredible job of feeding their people”, and “now we need their help in other parts of the world” on how they did it, particularly in poorer countries including in Africa.
Beasley said the wealthiest billionaires made unprecedented profits during the COVID-19 pandemic, and “it’s not too much to ask some of the multibillionaires to step up and help us in the short-term crisis”, even though charity isn’t a long-term solution to the food crisis.
In the long-term, he said what he’d really like to see is billionaires using their experience and success to engage “in the world’s greatest need – and that is food on the planet to feed eight billion people”.
“The world has to understand that the next 12 to 18 months is critical, and if we back off the funding, you will have mass migration, and you will have destabilisation nations and that will all be on top of starvation among children and people around the world,” he warned.
Beasley said WFP was just forced to cut rations by 50 per cent to four million people in Afghanistan, and “these are people who are knocking on famine’s door now.”
“We don’t have enough money just to reach the most vulnerable people now,” he said. “So we are in a crisis over the cliff stage right now, where we literally could have hell on earth if we’re not very careful.”
Beasley said he’s been telling leaders in the West and Europe that while they’re focussing on the situation in Ukraine, “you better well not forget about what’s south and southeast of you because I can assure you it is coming your way if you don’t pay attention and get on top of it.”
With USD400 trillion worth of wealth on the planet, he said, there’s no reason for any child to die of starvation.
