Food crisis: Swift and sustainable actions needed

As part of its International Development Series, the Montreal Council on Foreign Relations (CORIM) recently welcomed IDRC President Jean Lebel and World Food Programme Executive Director David Beasley for a virtual dialogue on the impending worldwide food crisis that is exacerbated by COVID-19.

IDRC and WFP have complementary approaches to hunger and nutrition in the Global South, and their work intersects through a mutual focus on climate action, gender equity, sustainable livelihoods, and social safety nets. Both organizations share grave concerns about the potential effects of the COVID-19 pandemic in the Global South.

The COVID-19 pandemic is a new, additional threat poised to aggravate an already challenging situation in many areas of the Global South. According to new figures from the WFP, the pandemic will see more than 250 million people suffering from acute hunger by the end of 2020 — almost twice the previously estimated 135 million.

Watch David Beasley and Jean Lebel’s conversation here.