WFP warns of global 'catastrophic hunger, instability' as fallout of Russia-Ukraine war

As the Russia Ukraine war enters Day 14, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) has warned of a rise in food prices and global hunger. David Beasley, the head of WFP, took to his Twitter and warned that the ongoing Russia Ukraine war could raise global food prices and affect the world's poorest. Beasley also warned about the risk of starvation worldwide.

Russia and Ukraine together export 30% of the world's wheat, said, Beasley. Also, both Russia and Ukraine export corn, sunflower, oil, and other food grains, which adds up to more than a tenth of all calories traded internationally. Amid the ongoing war, the exports from these two countries have virtually stopped, driving up global food prices as the supply drops despite high demand.

At a time when economic fallout from the pandemic has already pulled millions into poverty, the supply cutoff could increase global hunger in the aftermath of an increase in global food prices.

Earlier, while visiting one of WFP's hubs on the Polish-Ukraine border, Beasley said, "The bullets and bombs in Ukraine could take the global hunger crisis to levels beyond anything we’ve seen before." While speaking to the BBC on Tuesday, on rising food prices, he said, "Just when you think hell on earth can't get any worse, it does."

UN Secretary-General Antonia Guterres also spoke about the impact of war on the global level. On Tuesday, he tweeted, "The war in Ukraine not only has a dramatic impact on the lives of civilians but also has global repercussions." With the world still grappling with the after-effects of COVID-19, Guterres warned that the ongoing war will impact countries all over the world, especially the developing ones. "Developing countries already in dire situations can simply not afford skyrocketing prices of food, fuel and other essential goods", Guterres said.

World Food Programme (WFP)

The World Food Programme, or WFP, is a UN agency that focuses on hunger and food security. It is the food-assisting branch of the UN, whose aim is to bring world peace and stability through food assistance. The organization, whose headquarters are in Rome and was founded in 1961, is ramping up its operations in Ukraine amid reports of abating food supplies in war-wracked Ukraine. The ongoing war in Ukraine's embattled cities has increased the shortage of food in the country. Ukraine's President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, has already urged people all over the world to support the Ukrainian people.