When United Nations World Food Program director David Beasley recently called for billionaires to help solve world hunger, Elon musk took the step and was willing to sell 2% tesla stocks worth $6Billion if Beasley could tweet “exactly how” the money would feed humanity.
If WFP can describe on this Twitter thread exactly how $6B will solve world hunger, I will sell Tesla stock right now and do it.
Elon musk on Twitter
David Beasley Executive Director for the UN World Food Programme responded “$6B will not solve world hunger, but it WILL prevent geopolitical instability, mass migration and save 42 million people on the brink of starvation. An unprecedented crisis and a perfect storm due to Covid/conflict/climate crises.”
Tweet plan to avert crisis for 42 million people on famine’s edge in 43 countries: $.43 x 42,000,000 x 365 days = $6.6 billion. Systems are in place in all 43 countries. 115 million people assisted last year. Just a matter of scaling up.
David Beasley published a detailed report on how the organization going to use the money to save 42 million people
Executive summary
This plan focuses on assisting around 42 million people (in 43 out of the total 85 countries where WFP operates) who currently fall under Integrated Food Security Phase Classification 4 (IPC 4, emergency) and 5 (catastrophe),* thus being at real risk of famine or famine-like conditions unless life-saving assistance is urgently provided. This is illustrated in table 1 below.**
Table 1
| WFP “region” | Phase 4 | Phase 5 | TOTAL |
| South East & Central Asia | 6,491,000 | – | 6,491,000 |
| Middle East & Northern Africa | 6,331,000 | 47,000 | 6,378,000 |
| West & Central Africa | 2,850,000 | – | 2,850,000 |
| Southern Africa | 9,435,000 | 28,000 | 9,463,000 |
| Eastern Africa | 11,206,000 | 509,000 | 11,715,000 |
| Latin America & Caribbean | 5,131,000 | – | 5,131,000 |
| TOTAL | 41,444,000 | 584,000 | 42,028,000 |
As a result of the above, urgent funding for a comprehensive package of live-saving assistance to these populations is required, in the form of in-kind distribution and/or the provision of cash and vouchers. US$6.6 billion is needed to provide such assistance, out of which US$4.2 billion would be allocated for food distribution and US$2.4 billion for cash-based transfers.
The table in the annex shows the planned allocation for the top 10 recipient countries by transfer modality (food vs. cash-based transfers); the full list can be provided upon request.
Annex
PLANNED ALLOCATION TO 43 RECIPIENT COUNTRIES***
Table A.1: PLANNED ALLOCATION TO TOP 10 RECIPIENT COUNTRIES: SUMMARY
| Planned allocation (USD million) | ||||
| Recipient Country | IPC phase 4+ | Food | Cash & Vouchers | TOTAL |
| Top 10 | 33,186,000 | 3,160.20 | 1,116.70 | 4,276.90 |
| DR Congo | 6,729,000 | 117.6 | 113.9 | 231.6 |
| Afghanistan | 5,500,000 | 381.3 | 88.1 | 469.5 |
| Yemen | 5,105,000 | 792.9 | 439.9 | 1,232.80 |
| Ethiopia | 4,733,000 | 559.8 | 43.7 | 603.5 |
| Sudan | 2,697,000 | 300.3 | 152.8 | 453.1 |
| South Sudan | 2,521,000 | 519 | 118.2 | 637.2 |
| Venezuela | 2,300,000 | 65.3 | 0 | 65.3 |
| Haiti | 1,338,000 | 14.9 | 17.3 | 32.2 |
| Syria | 1,273,000 | 383.9 | 125.7 | 509.6 |
| Pakistan | 991,000 | 25.1 | 17 | 42 |
| 33 other countries | 8,842,000 | 1,066.10 | 1,253.30 | 2,319.40 |
| TOTAL | 42,028,000 | 4,226.30 | 2,370.00 | 6,596.30 |
you can download the detailed report from the WFP
