Topic:
Country: United States of America
Delegate Name: Reese Bower
UNDP
Food Insecurity and Political Crises
United States of America
Reese Bower
Forest Hills Eastern
Food insecurity is a deep-rooted, continuous problem that every country experiences to some degree; however, the complexity of the problem makes it difficult to target and solve. Food instability and politics are intertwined, ensuring the problem is urgent: exports and imports, wartime strategies, and global interdependence all factor into the nutrition issues. In the current time of war, food instability is more prevalent than ever, as Ukrainian food is relied on by 400 million people across the globe. It is estimated that, due to the war, 40 million more people could be forced into poverty in 2022. Russian control of Black Sea ports prevents the transfer of Ukrainian wheat, causing food prices to rise exponentially. In Lebanon, which is highly dependent on Ukraine for wheat imports, the consumer price index rose more than 3200% since January 2020. As the war continues, its effects show in the agricultural and food-based economies of countries far from Ukraine. It is imperative that the United Nations collaborates promptly in distributing aid to prevent a worldwide food and political crisis.
There has been increased global discussion and action concerning this topic in the last ten years, including the 2012 Food Assistance Convention, The Second International Conference on Nutrition, and the 70/259 resolution describing the “decade of action” on nutrition. In most global actions, The United States has been a major force in driving activity forward on food security, particularly in the Roadmap for Global Food Security. This statement outlines both the action required and the US commitment to increasing food stability for all countries in time of war, climate change, and the tail-end of a pandemic. The United States pledges its support to continued aid. Since the beginning of 2022, the United States has contributed a total of almost 8.2 billion US dollars in humanitarian aid. Additionally, G7 leaders (including the US) have pledged $4.5 billion to combat this problem. Some contributions of the United States in specific include $200 million in USAID assistance to UNICEF for combating extreme malnutrition in children, $670 million to the Bill Emerson Humanitarian Trust to aid countries with increased food insecurity, and $150 million to the Global Agriculture and Food Security Program to enhance farming and food production in poverty-stricken countries. The United States also recognizes and works to combat the food insecurity caused by the unprovoked war in Ukraine, with $68 million in aid going towards the partnership between USAID and the World Food Program to support the production and transport of Ukrainian wheat. Continued support in boosting the agricultural economy goes to Ukraine from the United States in order to prevent a global food crisis.
The United States urges that countries endorse and adhere to the Roadmap for Global Security. This document outlines various necessary actions to improve the problem and ensure a global food and political crisis does not ensue. The roadmap includes points such as keeping agriculture and food markets open to prevent extreme shortages, as well as increased production and export of necessary goods. A strong emphasis is also placed on the War in Ukraine. The United States encourages countries to contribute aid to those strongly affected by the Russian hold on agriculture and food production, along with supporting the safe transportation of grain and fertilizer through the Black Sea. With continued collaboration among G7 countries and non-governmental organizations to provide humanitarian aid, the US and others can work to address targeted areas and prevent the worsening of a global food crisis.
