David Beasley

we urgently need a political solution to reopen these ports

Unfortunately, because of the lack of funds that we were faced with in the last few months, we have been having to take food from the hungry children to give to starving children, which is a situation that none of us like to be in.

What the United States has done in stepping up is absolutely extraordinary.

in truth, instead of exporting food to help feed entire countries, the conflict means that Ukraine is now being forced to export hunger.

I am doing this because it is the right thing to do.

Let me warn you clearly: if you do not respond now, we will see destabilization, mass starvation, and migration on an unprecedented scale.

Senator, before Ukraine, I was already declaring to the world we were facing the worst humanitarian crisis for the year 2022 that we have ever seen since World War II.

I therefore urge the members of this body to take decisive action to prevent a rapidly worsening global food crisis.

I do not look to the United States to solve these problems alone, but I do ask that you show the humanitarian leadership the U.S. is renowned for.

We have got to make certain that we put the fire out before the entire world is on fire.

At a minimum, an additional $5 billion dollars for food assistance from the United States will provide WFP and other aid agencies with the support we need to stem the rising tide of famine.