STORY: UN official calls for multilateral system for peace to tackle hunger
DATELINE: Aug. 4, 2023
LENGTH: 00:03:11
LOCATION: UN Headquarters
CATEGORY: POLITICS
 
SHOTLIST:
1. various of Security Council Chamber
2. SOUNDBITE 1 (English): REENA GHELANI, UN Famine Prevention and Response Coordinator
3. various of Security Council Chamber
4. SOUNDBITE 2 (English): REENA GHELANI, UN Famine Prevention and Response Coordinator
5. various of Security Council Chamber
6. SOUNDBITE 3 (English): REENA GHELANI, UN Famine Prevention and Response Coordinator
7. various of Security Council Chamber
8. SOUNDBITE 4 (English): REENA GHELANI, UN Famine Prevention and Response Coordinator
 
STORYLINE:
 
A UN official on Thursday called for a reinvigorated multilateral system for peace in order to address the root causes of hunger.
 
UN Famine Prevention and Response Coordinator Reena Ghelani made the remarks at a Security Council briefing.
 
SOUNDBITE 1 (English): REENA GHELANI, UN Famine Prevention and Response Coordinator
"And yet the number of people suffering from acute food insecurity reached a quarter of a billion last year. This is the highest recorded in recent years. Of these people, some 376,000 were facing famine-like conditions in seven countries. Another 35 million people were on the edge. As in all crisis situations, women and children are the most impacted."
 
Hunger and conflict feed off of each other. Conflict and insecurity remain key drivers of hunger and famine, she said.
 
Every one of the seven countries where people faced famine-like conditions last year was affected by armed conflict or extreme levels of violence. Five of those seven countries -- Afghanistan, Haiti, Somalia, South Sudan and Yemen -- are regularly on the Security Council's agenda, she said.
 
SOUNDBITE 2 (English): REENA GHELANI, UN Famine Prevention and Response Coordinator
"Armed conflict destroys food systems, shatters livelihoods and drives people from their homes, leaving many extremely vulnerable and hungry. Sometimes these impacts are by-products of war. But all too often they are inflicted deliberately and unlawfully -- with hunger utilized as a tactic of war."
 
Food insecurity itself also fuels instability. Recent research highlighted by the World Food Programme has shown how food insecurity -- when coupled with pre-existing grievances, desperation fueled by poverty and inequality, and governance issues -- cause people to choose violence over peace, she said.
 
Conflict-induced hunger is compounded by a toxic mix of climate change and economic shocks, said Ghelani.
 
SOUNDBITE 3 (English): REENA GHELANI, UN Famine Prevention and Response Coordinator
"Climate change is increasingly becoming a threat multiplier. As the stress on water and other natural resources leads to increased competition and displacement, conflicts and hunger spread. Of the 10 countries most vulnerable to climate-related risks, seven are affected by conflict, six host a UN peacekeeping or special political mission, and four have more than a million people one step away from famine. At the same time, insecurity in conflict-affected countries hinders climate adaptation efforts. This leaves already vulnerable communities even poorer, hungrier and less resilient."
 
The UN official called for more efforts to prevent, reduce and end conflict in all its forms.
 
SOUNDBITE 4 (English): REENA GHELANI, UN Famine Prevention and Response Coordinator
"There needs to be a renewed commitment to peace through a reinvigorated multilateral system where governments, the United Nations and regional organizations work hand in hand."
 
Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from UN Headquarters.
(XHTV)