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UN food aid chief: 350m ā€œmarching to starvationā€

David Beasley says aid shortage means ā€œwe have to choose between which children eatā€ and which donā€™t

The outgoing chief executive of the World Food Programme (WFP) David Beasley has told the Ö÷²„“óŠć that 350 million people around the globe are ā€œmarching to starvationā€.

Speaking from the UN food aid organisationā€™s headquarters in Rome, Mr Beasley said that of that number, 50 million people in 50 countries were ā€œknocking on famineā€™s doorā€ and had to get food otherwise ā€œclearly will dieā€.

Asked by Sarah Montague how difficult decisions are made in terms of who will be fed, Mr Beasley said: ā€œI had somebody that said to me one day ā€˜Youā€™ve got the greatest job on the planet ā€“ saving the lives of millions of people every dayā€™. And I said, ā€˜I do, I really doā€™.ā€

ā€œBut I want to tell you something that is going to bother you. I donā€™t go to bed at night thinking about the children we saved. I go to bed at night heartbroken about the children we couldnā€™t save.

ā€œAnd we donā€™t have enough moneyā€¦ we have to choose which children eat, which children donā€™t eat, which children live, which children die.ā€

ā€œWe reach the most vulnerable first. We donā€™t have enough money and when you think about the fact that there is $400 trillion worth of wealth on planet Earth a day, how in the name of God can we be in this situation where we donā€™t have enough food to feed hungry children?ā€

Mr Beasley is stepping down after six years in the role.

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