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World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim Opening Remarks at the event Partnering to Address Severe Food Insecurity at the United Nations General Assembly
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Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-sonnet-5-5These are opening remarks by the World Bank Group President at a United Nations General Assembly event on severe food insecurity. He says famine is a collective failure and also an economic issue because of its effects on children. He gives figures on how famine affects child mortality, height and time in school. He calls for sustained joint action by humanitarian and development actors, and says a financing mechanism (the FAM) will work through existing systems such as social safety nets.
Key points
- Famines raise child mortality, increase stunting and impair cognitive development for children exposed in utero and for survivors.
- Child mortality increases by roughly 60 percent during famine.
- The average height of children under five falls by two centimeters, and time in school drops by roughly half a year.
- More proactive responses to avert humanitarian crises could reduce costs to the international community by as much as 30 percent.
- The FAM will build on existing systems, such as social safety nets, rather than create parallel structures.
Limitations
This is a speech, not a study, so it gives no methods, data sources or evaluation of any intervention. The figures are quoted without citation, and the United States is only the location of the event, not the focus of the work.
Abstract
The fact that tens of millions of people are at risk of starving to death is a tragedy. And in the 21st century, the fact that we haven’t ended famine is a collective failure of shameful proportions. It’s also a critical economic issue. From a human capital standpoint, famines raise child mortality, increase stunting, and impair cognitive development for children in utero at the time of the famine and of the children who survive. Child mortality increases by roughly 60 percent; the average height for children under five falls by two centimeters; and time in school drops by roughly half a year. Investing in more proactive responses to avert humanitarian crises could save millions of lives, and it can also reduce the costs to the international community by as much as 30 percent. Second, we need sustained collective action, before, during, and after crises. Humanitarian actors play a vital role in responding when famines strike, but they cannot do it alone. The development community must complement the talent, financing, and dedication of humanitarian workers, and indeed help safeguard all of the advances that have been made so that they can continue to push the frontiers of their efforts. Finally, the FAM will work with key partners and build on the ongoing efforts taking place at the country and global levels to help ensure that resources are channeled to the most effective and well-coordinated interventions. Instead of creating parallel structures, we will work with existing systems as much as possible to make the best use of our limited resources, such as building social safety nets. (United States)