Ending Global Hunger

Floor Speech

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Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, on July 12, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, the FAO, released its annual assessment on the state of global food security.

This year's report, titled ``The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2023,'' confirmed that nearly 30 percent of humanity, or roughly 2.4 billion people, lacked access to adequate food in 2022. A greater number, 3.1 billion, were unable to afford a healthy diet.

The report paints a world where hundreds of millions of people face more precarious circumstances, deepened by the ravages of climate change, regional turmoil, and rising food costs. It describes how the recovery from the global coronavirus pandemic has been uneven and how the war in Ukraine has affected access to food, especially nutritious food.

Last year, UNICEF reported that 148 million children under the age of 5 were stunted, meaning that their inadequate diets impaired their growth. The FAO director general called this the ``new normal,'' where climate change, conflict, and economic instability are pushing those on the margins over the edge.

Mr. Speaker, as someone who believes food is a fundamental human right for everyone on this planet, I believe the American people can and should be proud of the leadership the United States has shown in addressing the global crisis. We have provided billions in aid to those most affected by droughts, natural disasters, violence, and conflict. We have literally saved millions of lives.

Our farmers have provided food--wheat, soy, corn, rice, beans, lentils, peas, and cooking oil--to those most in need around the world. Our peanut farmers and specialty processors have provided therapeutic foods for severely malnourished children. Our NGOs are on the ground in many of the most desperate regions of the world. They make sure that food is provided to those most in need and work with local communities to build resilience to survive future economic and extreme weather shocks. Yet, we must all do more.

I recently met with the new executive director of the World Food Programme, Cindy McCain. She took over the reins in April and is determined to strengthen efficiency and transparency at the WFP, to stretch every dollar and every food contribution to its maximum. She needs to make those donations stretch because she is facing an impossible task, too many crises, too many people in need, and not enough money.

The WFP has already been forced to cut food rations and the number of people it serves all over the world, including in places like Syria and Haiti. Unlike the U.S., too many donors have yet to respond and too many nations like the Gulf states and the Middle East have failed to contribute their fair share.

The world cannot afford to stand by when heat waves, heavy rains, and flooding are wrecking crops and casting more uncertainty over the availability and cost of food.

I know that many fear a global migration as millions are forced to abandon their homes and livelihoods. For me, a greater concern is how massive internal displacement within countries, from rural areas to cities, might undermine agriculture, food security, and economic and social stability inside those nations and regions. The internal movement, that instability, is not in the best interest of anyone, including the United States.

I know from experience that the U.S. and the global community can respond effectively to this crisis if we have the political will to do so. Even now, we see improvements happening in Latin America and Asia, so there is hope.

That is why, Mr. Speaker, I am so dismayed by efforts inside this Congress to undermine or even eliminate the very programs that contribute to alleviating the suffering of hunger, famine, and food insecurity around the world, including among children.

Like our farmers, like our NGOs, and like the WFP and countless other nations and groups, we in Congress must do our part. We must make sure these programs are well funded so that the United States has the resources it needs to lead the world in ending global hunger.

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