The Russian invasion of Ukraine is exacerbating a global food crisis. According to the U.N., 1.7 billion people are at risk of poverty and hunger; the Eurasia Group puts the figure at 1.9 billion. The EU’s von der Leyen accused Russia of “blackmail” and of using “hunger and grain to wield power,” while Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez warned of political danger ahead, telling the World Economic Forum Congress Hall that food insecurity is “a catalyst for social instability and often armed conflicts.”
Globally, around 660 million people may still face hunger in 2030, in part due to lasting effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on global food security – 30 million more people than in a scenario in which the pandemic had not occurred. Unless bold actions are taken to accelerate progress, especially actions to address major drivers of food insecurity and malnutrition and the inequalities affecting the access of millions to food, hunger will not be eradicated by 2030.
Against this backdrop and in the run-up to UNGA High-Level Week (19-23 September), join AfP and the Stimson Center, on Tuesday, September 13th at 10 am EST, for a conversation surfacing key issues surrounding food insecurity as a driver and consequence of conflict, particularly amidst the war in Ukraine. This hybrid event will further seek to identify solutions governments, the private sector, and the NGO community can deploy to effectively address the current crisis.
Featured Speakers
David Alper, USAID
Elizabeth Hume, Alliance for Peacebuilding
Jonathan Papoulidis, Food for the Hungry
Ms. Silke Boger, of the EU Office
Richard Ponzio, The Stimson Center
Moderated by
Johanna Mendelson Forman, The Stimson Center