World Food Programme (WFP) Deputy Executive Director, Carl Skau, issued a warning on July 28, 2023, that the world is entering a “humanitarian doom loop.” He expressed concern that Russia has not provided any free grain to the UN food relief agency.
Speaking at a press briefing in New York, Skau lamented the collapse of the Black Sea Grain Initiative after Russia’s disengagement, stating that it was regrettable. Under this initiative, WFP shipped over 725,000 tons of grain to alleviate hunger in severely affected regions like Afghanistan, the Horn of Africa, and Yemen.
Skau emphasized the significance of Ukraine as a competitively priced, accessible, and high-quality source of wheat for WFP, despite the ongoing war. He highlighted that Ukraine remained WFP’s largest supplier of wheat in 2022, thanks to the accord.
The UN official stressed the importance of unimpeded access to major food supplies, stating that losing this source is a cause for great concern, as millions of people are in need of food assistance.
News reports indicated that Russian President Vladimir Putin promised to supply free grain to six African nations following the collapse of the initiative. However, Skau clarified that WFP has not been in talks with Russia about any free grain, and the agency operates on a full-cost recovery basis, not providing in-kind assistance to any country.
Skau raised alarm over a severe funding crisis affecting WFP’s ability to provide assistance in countries with the greatest needs. The agency has been forced to make challenging decisions in prioritizing assistance, scaling back life-saving aid at a time when acute hunger is reaching record levels.
As a consequence of funding cuts, people in the “crisis level” of hunger may fall into the “catastrophic level,” exacerbating humanitarian needs if global food security does not improve. Skau described this situation as a “humanitarian doom loop,” where saving some starving individuals comes at the expense of millions falling into the same dire circumstances.
He called on world leaders to prioritize funding for humanitarian response, enhance coordination with aid organizations, and address the root causes underlying these crises. Approximately 345 million people are facing acute food insecurity, with hundreds of millions more at risk of worsening hunger due to climate change, natural disasters, food price increases, economic slowdown, conflict, and insecurity.
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