The world is facing a global food security crisis with multiple causes, among them: climate change, COVID-19, and conflicts, including Russia’s unprovoked and ongoing war against Ukraine. More than 765 million people across the globe were chronically hungry in 2021.
In response to this growing global crisis, the United States, the European Union, the African Union, and Spain will co-chair the Global Food Security Summit on September 20 on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. Additional co-hosts include Germany, Colombia, Nigeria, the European Commission, and Indonesia.
The Summit livestream and additional background information can be found below.
The climate crisis is crippling global agricultural production. The COVID-19 pandemic has caused job and income losses, as well as supply chain disruptions. Ongoing conflict in a range of countries around the world is compounding these issues further.
Due to unprecedented drought in the Horn of Africa, approximately 20.5 million people across Ethiopia, Somalia, and Kenya require emergency food assistance to meet basic needs as of late August. The UN has projected some areas of Somalia could face famine later this year absent additional humanitarian assistance.
According to the @WFP, up to 50 million people in 45 countries are on the edge of famine and risk being tipped over without humanitarian support.
We must act.
For our part, since February, the U.S. has provided over $5.7 billion in assistance to food security operations.
— Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield (@USAmbUN) September 15, 2022
