Joe Biden will announce it officially in his speech to the UN General Assembly, the White House informed. The money “builds on the $6.9 billion in US government assistance to support global food security already committed this year,” the statement said.
The White House said food supplies were being disrupted by “the compounding impact of the pandemic, the deepening climate crisis, rising energy and fertilizer costs, and protracted conflicts — including Russia’s incursion into Ukraine.” The turmoil “disrupted global supply chains and dramatically increased global food prices,” the statement added. For example, a prolonged drought has left parts of Somalia at risk of famine, the White House said.
“This new $2.9 billion announced will save lives through emergency interventions and invest in medium- and long-term food security assistance to protect the world’s most vulnerable populations from the escalating global food crisis.”