Judy: The war in Ukraine has
exacerbated a global food
crisis.
The united nations says more
than 800 million people go to
bed hungry every night.
A recent u.n.-brokered deal with
Russia and Ukraine to allow
Ukrainian grain to leave the
black sea offering some relief.
But the problem goes well beyond
that.
Nick schifrin has more with one
of the administration's most
senior officials, who's trying
to tackle a worldwide challenge.
Nick: The U.S. Says 40 million
people have become hungry since
Russia invaded Ukraine.
The war has combined with covid,
rising food prices, and a
drought in east Africa.
A senegalese minister recently
warned more people could die
from the food crisis than died
from covid.
Among the most acutely affected,
Afghanistan, where 20 million
people, more than half the
country, are experiencing high
levels of acute food
insecurity.
Yemen and the horn of Africa,
where the U.N. Says 30 million
people suffer from acute hunger.
That is where said
administrator Samantha power
recently visited to give a major
speech about food
insecurity, and she joins us in
the studio.
Welcome back to the newshour.
Ukraine and Russia, there is a
new deal to allow Ukraine to
export once again.
Ukraine and Russia combined make
up a quarter of the world's
wheat exports.
How big of a difference will
that new U.N. Brokered deal
make?
Samantha: Even since the deal
was brokered, you saw an impact
on global wheat prices.
That was on the basis of the
aspiration for the deal to stick
for implementation to go
forward, for the ships to start
to move.
We have seen one ship so far, 26
thousand metric tons of corn on
that ship headed to Lebanon, a
place that is massively food
insecure, a place that gets more
than 80% of its weed from
Ukraine.
-- 80% of its wheat from
Ukraine.
That is 26,000 metric tons that
would not have gone to Lebanon
if Putin had stuck to the
blockade, but it is one ship.
Ukraine used to put into the
global market before the war 6
million metric tons a month.
We have 26,000 metric tons a
.
We cannot discount that, but it
gives you a sense of what it
needs to become if they get
close to the 6 million metric
tons and start to see the impact
on global food prices and the
reach of Ukrainian sunflower
oil, wheat, barley, and corn.
Nick: There are no U.S.
Sanctions on Russian
imports of oil or food, but
there are sanctions on
transportation companies that
would take the Russian grain
out, insurance companies that
would protect the grain, and the
Russian banks into which people
would pay for the grain.
Do you acknowledge that U.S.
Sanctions have contributed to
the increase in global food
crisis?
Samantha: What has caused the
massive spike that we have seen
is Russia's invasion of Ukraine
and this will hold blockade.
All that had to happen -- and
this willful blockade.
All that had to happen was a
security guarantee for any
ships.
Then you would have seen the
insurance rates reflective of
security guarantees.
Even in the wake of this deal,
you see Russia bombarding
Odessa, which has a massive
effect on insurers.
That is where the focus should
be.
In addition, you see the Russian
foreign minister travel to
sub-saharan Africa.
And it is disappointing.
There is a lot about who is to
blame for global food prices,
but not a lot that anybody can
see, any assistance.
Misinformation, lies, but no
actual support to countries like
those in the horn of Africa who
are facing this incredible hour
of need.
Nick: Let's move to east Africa.
Some of the largest buyers of
Ukrainian and Russian wheat are
in east Africa, where tens of
millions of people currently are
suffering from various levels of
hunger.
Food prices have risen
dramatically.
There is historic drought.
You went to Kenya and Somalia
and announced $1.2 billion in
assistance.
In some ways, is that a drop in
Samantha: Well, it is a lot of
money and it will buy a lot of
food and a lot of assistance.
Prior to the trip, I also
announced an unprecedented
investment in rutf, the
therapeutic food and pouches,
packets, for very malnourished,
very small children under five.
That is the largest investment
that has been made.
We are also doing a fundraising
drive to get others to match
that.
It is the rare form of food
assistance where if young under
five children do not receive
these pouches, 90% of them will
die if they are severely
malnourished.
But if they get those food
pouches, 90% of them will
survive.
For anybody who wants to
contribute, unicef is managing
this effort.
This assistance is key.
It is also key as a marker for
other countries because we need
other countries to do frankly
what they did the last time the
horn of Africa faced a less
severe drought back in 2016,
2017, which is to step up.
Right now, the United States is
accounting for more than 80% of
the world food program appeal.
That is not sustainable.
It is not sustainable to the
taxpayer here, and we have had
major bipartisan support for
this effort to meet food needs,
but it is also not sustainable
because no one country can
sustain funding for appeals that
are going to be this
significant.
The scene is grim and we
are seeing the precursors to
what lies ahead.
I met with pastoralists who
traditionally are herding goats
and cows and camels, which are
very resilient in tough
climates, and many of them might
have had 500 goats or cows or
sheep even six months ago, gone.
Not one.
Suddenly their livelihood is
gone, but also their fall
back, their emergency reserve is
the animals themselves.
There are suicides among these
individuals.
But above all, there is severe
hunger.
We have to combine the emergency
food assistance with the
recognition that climate change
is not going anywhere.
It is only going to get worse in
terms of the shocks.
For individuals like that who
are dependent on livestock
getting access to feed but also
to water, there are going to
have to be alternative pathways
for them.
That is what said specializes
in.
There again congress has stepped
up and given us more resources
to invest in drought resistant
seeds.
But other countries are not in
that effort in the way we need
them to be.
Nick: One country that is
showing up in Africa is Russia.
Sergei lavrov just did a visit.
The U.S. Is the largest donor
across the board when it comes
to this stuff, but nearly half
of the African countries voted
not to condemn Russia's invasion
of Ukraine earlier this year.
Do you acknowledge in some ways
your assistance does not match
your influence?
Samantha: I think the U.S. Has
tremendous influence across
sub-saharan Africa.
I will say because the U.S. Is
the country that shows up first,
just a year plus ago with
vaccines to help vaccinate those
in sub-saharan Africa who wish
to be asked needed -- who wish
to be vaccinated, getting ppe,
diagnostics, and the vaccines so
soon, to be showing up in this
way, leading the world in
providing food insecurity
assistance and humanitarian
emergency food and health a,
it is overwhelming, that show of
leadership.
Nick: Russia is offering
permanency on the un
security council.
Samantha: Where has Russia been
for the nearly 80 year history
of the united nations in
opposing reform?
But putting that to one side,
what is clear is that some of
the voices that made the biggest
difference in actually bringing
about the U.N. And Turkish
brokered deal to let the grains
go, to end Putin's blockade and
his war on food and war on the
poor around the world, it was
African voices, developing
country voices that made a
difference.
Whatever their fears about
intimidation, because there is a
lot of intimidation that occurs
before a vote is about to
happen, and there is a lot of
bribery that goes on, but in the
end, those appeals behind the
scenes, the pressure from those
countries has gotten us to this
point and needs to be sustained.
Nick: I only have about 30
seconds, so very quickly.
Half the population of
Afghanistan experiencing acute
food insecurity.
Wf P says the number of
donations is going down, the
price of food is going up to the
point where only 8% of the
country will soon receive food
rations.
Just 30 seconds.
Can the U.S. Do more to help the
people of Afghanistan?
Samantha: We are the largest
humanitarian donor by far since
the fall of kabul.
We have provided more than 500
million dollars in assistance in
Afghanistan, humanitarian
assistance.
This is another area where we
need untraditional donors, those
from, the gulf and elsewhere who
might have ties with the Taliban
regime.
We need them to step up and join
us in providing assistance.
Nick: We have to end it there.