Prompted by a challenge from Tesla founder Elon Musk, the United Nations has launched a plan for how it would spend practically $7 billion to fight hunger all over the world.
The proposal comes three weeks after David Beasley, government director of the U.N.’s World Meals Programme, or WFP, told CNN that roughly 2% of Musk’s $279 billion internet value might assist finish hunger. He later laid out in a tweet {that a} $6.6 billion donation would “avert famine” subsequent 12 months.
After seeing the interview, Musk mentioned on Twitter that he would instantly promote shares of the electrical automobile firm, which is value greater than $1 trillion, if the U.N. might clarify how the money would “solve” hunger.
“If WFP can describe on this Twitter thread exactly how $6 billion will solve world hunger, I will sell Tesla stock right now and do it,” tweeted Musk, who Bloomberg ranks because the richest individual on the planet.
Beasley defended his feedback in a reply to Musk on Twitter and advised the entrepreneur that “with your help, we can bring hope, build stability and change the future.”
“Let’s talk,” Beasley tweeted to Musk, a South Africa native. “It isn’t as complicated as Falcon Heavy, but too much is at stake to not at least have a conversation.”
About $3.5 billion of a roughly $6 billion donation would go towards shopping for meals for folks largely in Africa and the Center East, together with Afghanistan, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sudan, South Sudan and Yemen, in accordance to the U.N. The money would additionally fund the distribution of meals in these and different international locations by air, river or truck.
All advised, the U.N. mentioned its proposed plan would feed 42 million ravenous folks. The WFP proposal additionally requires:
- Spending $700 million on creating meals voucher packages in 43 international locations the place such help does not at present exist, together with “office and satellite-office facilities and their security, and the monitoring of distributions and results, ensuring the assistance reaches the most vulnerable.”
- Spending $2 billion on money and meals vouchers in international locations the place these packages exist already.
- Spending $400 million on beefing up global supply-chain logistics and making a monitoring system to monitor worldwide hunger.
The proposal does not break down how a lot money, if any, would go towards combating hunger within the U.S.
The U.N. emphasised that $6 billion would not eradicate world hunger. However the money would present one meal a day to hundreds of thousands of individuals dealing with famine, in accordance to the group.
Virtually 283 million folks throughout 80 international locations face excessive hunger, WFP mentioned, up from 135 million folks in 58 international locations in 2019, prior to the coronavirus pandemic.
Africa stays the continent most impacted by hunger, accounting for 63% of the folks experiencing meals insecurity at a “crisis” stage or worse, in accordance to a 2020 WFP report. But though the pandemic has fueled global hunger, the three predominant causes are battle, excessive climate occasions and financial shocks.
Famine on the rise
Beasley tweeted Monday that the variety of folks dealing with famine all over the world continues to rise and that the U.N. proposal is accepting of anybody prepared to assist fund it.
“This hunger crisis is urgent, unprecedented and avoidable,” Beasley tweeted, telling Musk that “we’re ready to talk with you — and anyone else — who is serious about saving lives. The ask is $6.6 billion to avert famine in 2022.”
Musk to date hasn’t responded to the U.N.’s proposal. Nevertheless, he lately has offered a big variety of his Tesla shares. Musk offered about 4.5 million shares final week, cashing in about $5 billion. A day later he offered one other 640,000 shares for about $687 million.
