The tense stand off between the UN and Elon Musk has a dramatic new development.
Musk claimed that if the World Food Programme could prove that $6bn could help solve world hunger, he’d do it.
Musk wrote to the UN:
“If WFP can describe on this Twitter thread exactly how $6B will solve world hunger, I will sell Tesla stock right now and do it.
“But it must be open source accounting, so the public sees precisely how the money is spent.”
And now they’ve done just that.
David Beasley, Executive Director of the World Food Programme, has detailed exactly how the billions would be spent.
He took to Twitter to explain it:
The world is on fire. I've been warning about the perfect storm brewing due to Covid, conflict, climate shocks & now, rising supply chain costs. IT IS HERE. 45M lives are at stake—and increasing daily. If you don’t feed people, you feed conflict, destabilization & mass migration. pic.twitter.com/VotIZlEAGE
— David Beasley (@WFPChief) November 15, 2021
This hunger crisis is urgent, unprecedented, AND avoidable. @elonmusk, you asked for a clear plan & open books. Here it is! We're ready to talk with you – and anyone else – who is serious about saving lives. The ask is $6.6B to avert famine in 2022: https://t.co/eJLmfcMVqE
— David Beasley (@WFPChief) November 15, 2021
Beasley wrote:
“The world is on fire. I’ve been warning about the perfect storm brewing due to Covid, conflict, climate shocks and now, rising supply chain costs.
“IT IS HERE. 45M lives are at stake-and increasing daily. If you don’t feed people, you feed conflict, destabilization and mass migration.
“This hunger crisis is urgent, unprecedented, AND avoidable. @elonmusk, you asked for a clear plan & open books. Here it is!
“We’re ready to talk with you – and anyone else – who is serious about saving lives. The ask is $6.6B to avert famine in 2022.”
The plan was detailed on the UN website site:
- US$3.5 billion for food and its delivery, including the cost of shipping and transport to the country, plus warehousing and “last mile” delivery of food using air, land and river transport, contracted truck drivers and required security escorts in conflict-affected zones to distribute food to those who need it most.
- US$2 billion for cash and food vouchers (including transaction fees) in places where markets can function. This type of assistance enables those most in need to buy the food of their choice and supports local economies.
- US$700 million for country-specific costs to design, scale up and manage the implementation of efficient and effective programmes for millions of tons more food and cash transfers and vouchers – adapted to the in-country conditions and operational risks in 43 countries. This includes office and satellite-office facilities and their security, and the monitoring of distributions and results, ensuring the assistance reaches the most vulnerable.
- US$400 million for global and regional operations management, administration and accountability, including coordination of global supply lines and aviation routes; global logistics coordination such as freight contracting; global monitoring and analysis of hunger worldwide; and risk management and independent auditors dedicated to oversight.
Over to you, Elon.
