David Beasley, the Executive Director of the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), spoke to WION on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference in Germany.&nbsp;

Weighing in on the devastating earthquakes in Turkey and Syria, Beasley talked about the humanitarian aid to Syria which has been politicised by some.&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
He said, "You got to reach everybody in need doesn't matter where they are. So we at WFP reached about 800,000 in Turkey and 200,000 people in Syria. The Syrian government has been working with us on access cross border."&nbsp;

"We are struggling to a certain degree with regard to north-west Syrian authorities. We are working on that. We need to reach everybody because a lot of people are suffering," he added.&nbsp;

ALSO READ |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/bilawal-bhutto-tells-wion-whether-or-not-pakistan-will-attend-sco-summit-in-india-563471">Bilawal Bhutto tells WION whether or not Pakistan will attend SCO summit in India</a>

<h2>Beasley on global food crisis due to&nbsp;war</h2>

On being asked about the Russia-Ukraine war, Beasley talked about the global food crisis caused by the war.&nbsp;

He said, "Whole world is struggling with food right now it's going to get worst. The bread basket of the world is Ukraine and it grows wheat for 300 to 400 million people."&nbsp;

"Last year Ukraine had fertiliser, But this year they don't have fertiliser so we have multiple crises with respect to Ukraine,"' he added.&nbsp;

"Grain production can be substantially low this year in Ukraine. Ships and trucks are not moving like they need to move We got food security crisis around the world," he further said.&nbsp;

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<h2>Beasley on Pakistan's situation&nbsp;</h2>

He said, "WFP has been on the ground with regards to Pakistan. The flood has affected a lot of people, and it has also impacted grain production immediately and that is a serious issue we don't want to happen in terms of the global production of food."&nbsp;

"Because We going to run out of food in the end of 2023, so we need Pakistan to be back in the game like they need to be," he added.&nbsp;

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David Beasley, the Executive Director of the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), spoke to WION on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference in Germany.

David Beasley, the Executive Director of the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), spoke to WION on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference in Germany. Weighing in on the devastating earthquakes in Turkey and Syria, Beasley talked about the humanitarian aid to Syria which has been politicised by some. He said, "You got to reach everybody in need doesn't matter where they are. So we at WFP reached about 800,000 in Turkey and 200,000 people in Syria. The Syrian government has been working with us on access cross border." "We are struggling to a certain degree with regard to north-west Syrian authorities. We are working on that. We need to reach everybody because a lot of people are suffering," he added. ALSO READ | Bilawal Bhutto tells WION whether or not Pakistan will attend SCO summit in India Beasley on global food crisis due to war On being asked about the Russia-Ukraine war, Beasley talked about the global food crisis caused by the war. He said, "Whole world is struggling with food right now it's going to get worst. The bread basket of the world is Ukraine and it grows wheat for 300 to 400 million people." "Last year Ukraine had fertiliser, But this year they don't have fertiliser so we have multiple crises with respect to Ukraine,"' he added. "Grain production can be substantially low this year in Ukraine. Ships and trucks are not moving like they need to move We got food security crisis around the world," he further said. Watch this report: × Beasley on Pakistan's situation He said, "WFP has been on the ground with regards to Pakistan. The flood has affected a lot of people, and it has also impacted grain production immediately and that is a serious issue we don't want to happen in terms of the global production of food." "Because We going to run out of food in the end of 2023, so we need Pakistan to be back in the game like they need to be," he added. WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

WFP's David Wesley speaks to WION about aid to Syria, food crisis, and more

United Nations' food relief agency has warned that the&nbsp;world is at risk of widespread famines "of biblical proportions" caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

More than 30 countries in the developing world could experience widespread famine, and in 10 of those countries there are already more than 1 million people on the brink of starvation, said David Beasley, executive director of the World Food Programme (WFP).

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/how-covid-19-can-push-half-a-billion-people-into-poverty-291463">How COVID-19 can push half a billion people into poverty?</a>

He also said that ''with a short time to act before hundreds of millions starve, urgent action is needed to avoid a catastrophe''.

According to the fourth annual&nbsp;Global Report on Food Crisis,&nbsp;the number suffering from hunger could go from 135 million to more than 250 million.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/no-benefit-higher-death-rate-for-malaria-drug-in-coronavirus-study-293900" hreflang="en">No benefit, higher death rate for malaria drug in coronavirus study</a>

The countries highlighted in this report include,&nbsp;Yemen, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Afghanistan, Venezuela, Ethiopia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Nigeria and Haiti.

Addressing the UN Security Council during a video conference, Beasley said ''we could be facing multiple famines of biblical proportions within a short few months," he said. "The truth is we do not have time on our side."

In a call to action, he added: "I do believe that with our expertise and our partnerships, we can bring together the teams and the programmes necessary to make certain the Covid-19 pandemic does not become a human and food crisis catastrophe."

The World Food Programme claimed&nbsp;that those most at risk are in 10 countries affected by conflict, economic crisis and climate change.

United Nations' food relief agency has warned that the world is at risk of widespread famines "of biblical proportions" caused by the coronavirus pandemic. More than 30 countries in the developing world could experience widespread famine, and in 10 of those countries there are already more than 1 million people on the brink of starvation, said David Beasley, executive director of the World Food Programme (WFP).

United Nations' food relief agency has warned that the world is at risk of widespread famines "of biblical proportions" caused by the coronavirus pandemic. More than 30 countries in the developing world could experience widespread famine, and in 10 of those countries there are already more than 1 million people on the brink of starvation, said David Beasley, executive director of the World Food Programme (WFP). Also read: How COVID-19 can push half a billion people into poverty? He also said that ''with a short time to act before hundreds of millions starve, urgent action is needed to avoid a catastrophe''. According to the fourth annual Global Report on Food Crisis, the number suffering from hunger could go from 135 million to more than 250 million. Also read: No benefit, higher death rate for malaria drug in coronavirus study The countries highlighted in this report include, Yemen, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Afghanistan, Venezuela, Ethiopia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Nigeria and Haiti. Addressing the UN Security Council during a video conference, Beasley said ''we could be facing multiple famines of biblical proportions within a short few months," he said. "The truth is we do not have time on our side." In a call to action, he added: "I do believe that with our expertise and our partnerships, we can bring together the teams and the programmes necessary to make certain the Covid-19 pandemic does not become a human and food crisis catastrophe." The World Food Programme claimed that those most at risk are in 10 countries affected by conflict, economic crisis and climate change.

World at risk of 'biblical famines' due to COVID-19, says UN

The<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/saudi-led-forces-israel-among-states-rapped-by-un-for-killing-children-239735"> United Nations</a> and Yemen's<a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/saudi-led-airstrike-on-market-kill-13-in-northern-yemen-239413"> Huthi rebels</a> announced Sunday an agreement to resume delivery of food aid suspended for six weeks in areas controlled by the group.

The agreement was signed on Saturday in the rebel-held capital Sanaa, Huthi controlled media said.&nbsp;

The UN World Food Programme (WFP) "signed a high-level agreement that is an important step towards safeguards that guarantee the accountability of our humanitarian operation in Yemen", WFP spokesperson Herve Verhoosel said in an email to AFP.

"We are hopeful that technical details can be agreed in the coming days," he added.

The agreement includes a biometric database of civilians in need of aid to guarantee "effective and efficient distribution" and to "benefit the neediest", according to the Huthis' Alsyasiah website.

The agreement also stipulates "total transparency" in the registration of beneficiaries and distribution of aid, it added.&nbsp;

On July 18, WFP head David Beasley announced an agreement in principle was reached with the Huthis to resume food aid to the areas they control. 
&nbsp; 
The UN had suspended deliveries of food aid to rebel-held areas on June 20 following accusations of "diversion of food" meant for Yemeni civilians.&nbsp;

Fighting between Iran backed Huthis and government forces aided by a Saudi led coalition has killed tens of thousands of people, most of them civilians, aid agencies say.

The conflict has also forced some 3.3 million people from their homes and 24.1 million, some 80 per cent of the population, needs aid, according to the UN.

The United Nations and Yemen's Huthi rebels announced Sunday an agreement to resume delivery of food aid suspended for six weeks in areas controlled by the group.

The United Nations and Yemen's Huthi rebels announced Sunday an agreement to resume delivery of food aid suspended for six weeks in areas controlled by the group. The agreement was signed on Saturday in the rebel-held capital Sanaa, Huthi controlled media said. The UN World Food Programme (WFP) "signed a high-level agreement that is an important step towards safeguards that guarantee the accountability of our humanitarian operation in Yemen", WFP spokesperson Herve Verhoosel said in an email to AFP. "We are hopeful that technical details can be agreed in the coming days," he added. The agreement includes a biometric database of civilians in need of aid to guarantee "effective and efficient distribution" and to "benefit the neediest", according to the Huthis' Alsyasiah website. The agreement also stipulates "total transparency" in the registration of beneficiaries and distribution of aid, it added. On July 18, WFP head David Beasley announced an agreement in principle was reached with the Huthis to resume food aid to the areas they control. The UN had suspended deliveries of food aid to rebel-held areas on June 20 following accusations of "diversion of food" meant for Yemeni civilians. Fighting between Iran backed Huthis and government forces aided by a Saudi led coalition has killed tens of thousands of people, most of them civilians, aid agencies say. The conflict has also forced some 3.3 million people from their homes and 24.1 million, some 80 per cent of the population, needs aid, according to the UN.

United Nations finalises accord with Yemen rebels to resume food aid

United Nations food chief David Beasley warned on Monday that a phased-suspension of food assistance in Yemen was likely to begin later this week over a diversion of aid and lack of independence in Houthi-controlled areas.

U.N. food chief warns aid suspension in Yemen likely to start this week

A potent combination of hunger, climate change and man-made conflicts are creating a "perfect storm", the head of the UN's food arm warned Tuesday in a call to action on World Food Day.

"You've got a nightmare, the perfect storm heading your way," David Beasley, World Food Programme (WFP) chief, said in a speech in Rome, where the United Nations' food agencies are headquartered.

The UN aims to achieve a Zero Hunger world by 2030, but faces three obstacles: conflicts, climate change and an economic slowdown.

Beasley said the battle was an urgent one. "Children are dying at a rate of every five to ten seconds" from hunger or malnutrition, he said.

Food is being wasted both during the production process and in people's kitchens.

"The answer is not in Rome alone, it's in your homes. What are you going to do about it?" he asked.

It is not a problem wealthier countries can simply ignore, for it has a knock-on effect on them in terms of the migration crisis.

"For every one percent increase in hunger, there's a two percent increase in migration," Beasley said.

Some 821 million people, or one of every nine people on the planet, suffered from hunger last year, marking the third consecutive annual increase, according to the UN's latest hunger report.

An estimated 155 million children under five years old are chronically malnourished, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), while micronutrient deficiencies, dubbed the "hidden hunger", affects over two billion people worldwide.

At the same time, over 600 million people are obese.

The costs to society of the "global pandemic" of obesity are enormous -- as expensive as armed conflicts and smoking, FAO head Jose Graziano da Silva said.

"International solidarity appears to be cooling," warned Pope Francis in a speech delivered by a Vatican representative.

He warned institutions leading the fight against hunger not to "study the roots of (poor people's) misery" and merely respond with "impressive publications destined only to enlarge library catalogues".

"When it is a question of effectively confronting the causes of hunger, grandiose declarations" are not enough, he said.

"The struggle against hunger urgently demands generous financing, the abolition of trade barriers and, above all, greater resilience in the face of climate change, economic crises and warfare."

A potent combination of hunger, climate change and man-made conflicts are creating a "perfect storm", the head of the UN's food arm warned Tuesday in a call to action on World Food Day.

A potent combination of hunger, climate change and man-made conflicts are creating a "perfect storm", the head of the UN's food arm warned Tuesday in a call to action on World Food Day. "You've got a nightmare, the perfect storm heading your way," David Beasley, World Food Programme (WFP) chief, said in a speech in Rome, where the United Nations' food agencies are headquartered. The UN aims to achieve a Zero Hunger world by 2030, but faces three obstacles: conflicts, climate change and an economic slowdown. Beasley said the battle was an urgent one. "Children are dying at a rate of every five to ten seconds" from hunger or malnutrition, he said. Food is being wasted both during the production process and in people's kitchens. "The answer is not in Rome alone, it's in your homes. What are you going to do about it?" he asked. It is not a problem wealthier countries can simply ignore, for it has a knock-on effect on them in terms of the migration crisis. "For every one percent increase in hunger, there's a two percent increase in migration," Beasley said. Some 821 million people, or one of every nine people on the planet, suffered from hunger last year, marking the third consecutive annual increase, according to the UN's latest hunger report. An estimated 155 million children under five years old are chronically malnourished, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), while micronutrient deficiencies, dubbed the "hidden hunger", affects over two billion people worldwide. At the same time, over 600 million people are obese. The costs to society of the "global pandemic" of obesity are enormous -- as expensive as armed conflicts and smoking, FAO head Jose Graziano da Silva said. "International solidarity appears to be cooling," warned Pope Francis in a speech delivered by a Vatican representative. He warned institutions leading the fight against hunger not to "study the roots of (poor people's) misery" and merely respond with "impressive publications destined only to enlarge library catalogues". "When it is a question of effectively confronting the causes of hunger, grandiose declarations" are not enough, he said. "The struggle against hunger urgently demands generous financing, the abolition of trade barriers and, above all, greater resilience in the face of climate change, economic crises and warfare."

'Perfect storm' of hunger, climate change & conflict coming, warns UN

The head of the UN's World Food Programme said today it appeared North Korea was "turning a new page in history", following a four-day visit to the country.

David Beasley said he had enjoyed unprecedented access to the secretive state, spending two days in the capital Pyongyang and two in the countryside, accompanied by government minders.

He said there was undoubtedly a hunger problem in North Korea but it was not on the scale of the 1990s famine.

Also read: <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/very-smart-and-gracious-gesture-trump-thanks-north-korea-for-promising-to-destroy-nuclear-test-site-136434">Trump thanks North Korea for promising to destroy nuclear test site</a>

North Korea's economy has been devastated by its own mismanagement and crippling international sanctions over its nuclear weapons programme. However, its relations with the rest of the world are rapidly changing, with leader Kim Jong Un on a charm offensive.

Beasley told BBC radio that North Korea's leaders had a "sense of optimism".

Dialogue brokered by Seoul has seen US-North Korea relations go from trading personal insults and threats of war last year to a summit between Kim and President Donald Trump due in Singapore on June 12.

"There is a sense of turning a new page in history," said Bealsey, 61, the former governor of South Carolina.

He described the farming he witnessed outside the capital, in a country where only around a fifth of the land is arable.

"One of the most powerful things that I saw was out in the countryside -- it's spring, they're planting -- there's not mechanisation. You've got oxen pulling ploughs, men and women in the fields," said Beasley.

"It's very structured, very organised, every foot and inch of dirt is being toiled with rakes and hoes and shovels, and they're literally planting crops up to the edge of the road, down embankments, using every available space because it is a land that's mostly mountainous." North Korea has periodically been hit by famine, and hundreds of thousands of people died -- estimates range into the millions -- in the mid-1990s.

Beasley said: "I didn't see starvation like you had in the famine back in the 1990s, that's the good news. But is there a hunger issue, is there under-nutrition? There's no question about it." A United Nations-led report in March said chronic food shortages and malnutrition were widespread.

Around 41 percent -- 10.5 million people -- were undernourished, it said Around 18 million North Koreans, or 70 percent of the population including 1.3 million children aged under five, depend on the government-run Public Distribution System for rations of cereal and potatoes.

But most people do not consume a sufficiently diverse diet for healthy development, the report said. (AFP)&nbsp

The comment came from the chief of the UN's World Food Programme after a four-day visit to the country

The head of the UN's World Food Programme said today it appeared North Korea was "turning a new page in history", following a four-day visit to the country. David Beasley said he had enjoyed unprecedented access to the secretive state, spending two days in the capital Pyongyang and two in the countryside, accompanied by government minders. He said there was undoubtedly a hunger problem in North Korea but it was not on the scale of the 1990s famine. Also read: Trump thanks North Korea for promising to destroy nuclear test site North Korea's economy has been devastated by its own mismanagement and crippling international sanctions over its nuclear weapons programme. However, its relations with the rest of the world are rapidly changing, with leader Kim Jong Un on a charm offensive. Beasley told BBC radio that North Korea's leaders had a "sense of optimism". Dialogue brokered by Seoul has seen US-North Korea relations go from trading personal insults and threats of war last year to a summit between Kim and President Donald Trump due in Singapore on June 12. "There is a sense of turning a new page in history," said Bealsey, 61, the former governor of South Carolina. He described the farming he witnessed outside the capital, in a country where only around a fifth of the land is arable. "One of the most powerful things that I saw was out in the countryside -- it's spring, they're planting -- there's not mechanisation. You've got oxen pulling ploughs, men and women in the fields," said Beasley. "It's very structured, very organised, every foot and inch of dirt is being toiled with rakes and hoes and shovels, and they're literally planting crops up to the edge of the road, down embankments, using every available space because it is a land that's mostly mountainous." North Korea has periodically been hit by famine, and hundreds of thousands of people died -- estimates range into the millions -- in the mid-1990s. Beasley said: "I didn't see starvation like you had in the famine back in the 1990s, that's the good news. But is there a hunger issue, is there under-nutrition? There's no question about it." A United Nations-led report in March said chronic food shortages and malnutrition were widespread. Around 41 percent -- 10.5 million people -- were undernourished, it said Around 18 million North Koreans, or 70 percent of the population including 1.3 million children aged under five, depend on the government-run Public Distribution System for rations of cereal and potatoes. But most people do not consume a sufficiently diverse diet for healthy development, the report said. (AFP)

North Korea 'turning a new page'

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