Speeches Shim
Due to COVID-19 and climate change, the world was already experiencing some of the worst levels of food insecurity in modern history. Now, with Putin’s unjustified attack on Ukraine causing reverberating impacts on global food, fuel, and fertilizer supplies, the world is facing a colossal hunger crisis. USAID is responding to the growing emergency by addressing immediate supply disruptions to fulfill humanitarian needs, and through the U.S. government’s Feed the Future initiative, investing in medium and long-term efforts to increase investments in agricultural capacity and resilience, mitigate the global fertilizer shortage, and work with partners across the world to support the most vulnerable affected communities.
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Last updated: June 21, 2022
Today, Administrator Power participated in the World Bank Group’s (WBG) “The Way Forward” series, in which WBG President David Malpass invites prominent government or development actors to discuss bold ideas and policies to address global challenges.
In response to the historic drought threatening millions of lives in the Horn of Africa, the United States, through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), is providing nearly $105 million in critical humanitarian aid to bring immediate relief to the most vulnerable people. The region is in the midst of a fourth consecutive failed rainy season with worsening drought conditions increasing the likelihood of famine for hundreds of thousands of people in the Horn of Africa. A fifth rainy season is forecast to be drier than average, further devastating livelihoods for families who depend on crops and livestock for food to survive. As a result, more than 16 million people need immediate humanitarian assistance. The number is expected to rise to unprecedented levels, with up to 20 million people in need of urgent assistance by September.
Yesterday, at an event on the sidelines of the Ninth Summit of the Americas in Los Angeles, USAID Administrator Samantha Power announced approximately $331 million in humanitarian and long-term development assistance to address food security and resilience in the region.
My own Agency’s founding was rooted in strengthening food security and nutrition throughout the hemisphere. One of USAID’s first ever programs began in 1962—Operation Niños—an initiative that, in its first three years, provided nutritious, daily meals for more than 15 million children across Latin America. And since then, our Feed the Future program is working in six countries in the hemisphere.
On Wednesday, June 8, 2022, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Pacific Council on International Policy will convene a panel discussion on the sidelines of the Summit of the Americas in Los Angeles to highlight rising food insecurity in the Western Hemisphere and opportunities for building more sustainable, equitable, and resilient food systems throughout the region.
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