00:00The World Food Programme is providing hot meals for tens of thousands in Lebanon who
00:05have been displaced by the Middle East war.
00:08On Tuesday, a top official of the humanitarian organization warned that the conflict lasting
00:13until June could increase the amount of people facing acute hunger in the world to 45 million.
00:19Conflict has also caused major knock-on effects on global humanitarian operations.
00:25Supply chains may really be on the brink of the most severe disruption since COVID and
00:31the Ukraine war back in 2022.
00:35He specified that spiraling oil values and subsequent food cost inflation could price families out
00:40of staple foods in import-dependent countries in Sub-Saharan Africa and Asia.
00:46The disruption to fertilizer exports through the Strait of Hormuz comes at the worst time
00:50for countries like Kenya and Somalia, which are both heading into planting season, with
00:55the latter already facing a possible famine.
00:59At a press conference on Monday in New York, the UN Secretary General's spokesperson explained
01:04how the conflict will affect the families of migrant workers.
01:07As Gulf economies host millions of migrant workers from South Asia, Southeast Asia and
01:13Africa who sent home billions of dollars in remittances every year.
01:18If the conflict continues, FAO pointed out that remittance flows could decline significantly,
01:23reducing household incomes in many developing economies and compounding the impact of rising
01:29food and energy prices.
01:32The UN Secretariat had previously facilitated the creation of the Black Sea Grain Initiative,
01:37which unblocked Ukrainian wheat and corn exports after the Russian invasion of the country.
01:42The World Food Program provides logistics and direct food assistance in conflicts and disasters.
01:48Both are facing unprecedented financial challenges due to the drying up or withholding of international
01:54funding, with the UN warning of imminent financial collapse in January, and the WFP currently
02:01facing a 40 percent budget reduction as costs continue to rise.
