United States Secretary of State, Antony Blinken has said that at the outset of 2022, more than 190 million people had been driven into acute food insecurity, while added that the war in Ukraine could add an additional 70 million people on top of it.
Blinken who stated this in statement released to commemorate World Food Day, October 16, said global food security at a critical moment with compounded impacts from a global pandemic, growing pressures from the climate crisis, high energy and fertilizer prices.
He added that armed conflicts, including Russia’s brutal war of aggression against Ukraine, have disrupted production and supply chains and dramatically increased global food insecurity, especially for the most vulnerable.
Blinken noted that human impact is staggering and millions are facing hunger and malnutrition. “Conflicts are driving unconscionable levels of hunger as violence stops food from getting to the neediest.
“Pandemic disruptions to supply chains have destabilized food systems. High prices and availability issues are reducing fertilizer use. From the droughts in the Horn of Africa to the floods in Pakistan, we are also seeing how climate change poses a critical threat to our food supply.
“Parts of Somalia are at risk of famine for the second time in just over a decade. The work before us is clear. Only by working together can we overcome the global food security challenges we face”, he said.
The Secretary of State recalled that earlier this year, the United States chaired a Food Security Summit at the United Nations, which launched the Roadmap for Global Food Security.
“At that meeting, we reaffirmed the commitment for world leaders to act with urgency and at scale to respond to the pressing global food crises and avert extreme hunger for hundreds of millions of people around the world.
“More than 100 countries have signed on to the initiative that calls on them to take seven actions, which include increasing fertilizer production and investing in climate-resilient agriculture”.
Blinken made it clear that United States is leading the way. “Last month, at the United Nations General Assembly, US President, Joe Biden announced over $2.9 billion in new assistance to address global food insecurity.
“That announcement builds on the $6.9 billion in U.S. assistance to support global food security already committed this year.
“This assistance will save lives through emergency interventions and invest in medium to long-term food security assistance to protect the world’s most vulnerable population, often women and children, from the escalating global food security crisis”, he said.
