The Canadian Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau has announced provision $30 million in humanitarian funding to the World Food Programme to facilitate additional shipments of Ukrainian grain moving through the Black Sea Grain Initiative toward countries grappling with acute food insecurity.
Trudeau disclosed this in a statement released over the weekend through the Minister of International Development and Minister responsible for the Pacific Economic Development Agency of Canada, the Honourable Harjit S. Sajjan, while the funding which will help feed the growing number of people around the world facing hunger.
Recall global food insecurity has been increasing dramatically over the past several years, and it is now being further and directly exacerbated by Russia’s illegal and unjustifiable invasion of Ukraine as countries around the globe are experiencing the effects of insecurity on global and local food systems, and these effects are felt most strongly by the poorest and most vulnerable populations.
The announcement builds on the $615 million in humanitarian food and nutrition assistance already allocated in 2022 to help feed people in countries facing the most severe food crises while Canada commends Ukraine on commitment to donating grain to help address the global food crisis as part of Grain from Ukraine humanitarian initiative, which was announced by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the G20 Summit last week.
Minister of International Development and Minister responsible for the Pacific Economic Development Agency of Canada, Harjit S. Sajjan said, “The food crisis is hardest on the most vulnerable around the world, especially women and girls, who, especially in times of crisis, often eat least and last. Canada will not stand by as people starve, and we will continue to look for ways to make sure food is available and accessible to those who need it most.”
To date in 2022, Canada has provided over $1.3 billion in humanitarian assistance to UN partners, the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement and NGOs to help provide life-saving services to people affected by crisis, including food and nutrition assistance; water, sanitation, and hygiene services; shelter; health and protection services; and coordination and logistics services to support the humanitarian response.
It stated further that these additional grain shipments are made possible because of the renewed UN-brokered Black Sea Grain Initiative, which began facilitating grain shipments from 3 Ukrainian ports in August 2022 and has helped to stabilize food prices worldwide and provide desperately needed food to millions of people.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine shocked an already strained global food system with an estimated 349 million people now live with acute food insecurity, and 50 million more are on the brink of famine.