4 hours ago
World Bank President David Malpass has warned that the world is facing a “humanitarian catastrophe” due to the food crisis caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Malpass told the BBC that the record rise in food prices is pushing hundreds of millions of people into poverty.
“It’s a humanitarian catastrophe, and that means feeding rates are going down. But then it will also become a political challenge for governments that can’t do anything regarding it, they haven’t caused it, but they are seeing prices go up,” he added.
The World Bank expects a “huge” increase of up to 37 percent in food prices, a rate of “high inflation for the poor”.
The World Bank President explained that (inflation) “affects food of all kinds, oils and grains, and then reaches other crops, such as the corn crop, because it rises when the price of wheat rises.”
There is a need to focus on increasing the worldwide supply of fertilizer and food, as well as providing assistance to the poorest.
Malpass pointed out that food in the world is sufficient for everyone, but a mechanism must be put in place to ensure that it reaches those in need.
He said that, as happened with the Corona epidemic, the food crisis will include the poorest people because they will eat less and have less money to meet other needs such as education.
The head of the World Bank warned of the emergence of one crisis following another when developing countries are unable to meet their debt obligations, which they obtained during the Corona epidemic, in conjunction with the rise in energy and food prices.
Developments in Mariupol
Meanwhile, Ukrainian officials have offered to negotiate with Russia without any conditions to evacuate Ukrainian civilians and military personnel from Mariupol amid growing fears that the city might fall into Russian hands.
A Ukrainian marine commander warned that his troop numbers in the city were dwindling, and they were out of supplies.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said an estimated 1,000 civilians were also sheltering in the Azovstal steel plant, the last stronghold of Ukrainian resistance in the city.
If it falls, Mariupol will be the largest city occupied by Russia since it began its invasion of Ukraine eight weeks ago.
If Russian forces take Mariupol, Moscow will also end up in complete control of the Sea of Azov, cutting off Ukraine’s maritime trade.
The fall of Mariupol will also provide President Vladimir Putin with a major propaganda opportunity.
