You can watch on the cspan now video app or live on cspan. Org. Cspan is your unfiltered view of government. We are funded by these television companies, including charter medications. It charter is proud to be one of the best internet providers. We are just getting started. Charter communication supports cspan as a publ service along with these other providers, giving you a front row seat to the micro c. The secretary of state delivers remarks on famine and conflict at the un Security Council. It focuses on russias drop black from the black Sea Grain Initiative. It allowed ukrainian grain and other food to be exported to developing companies countries. The 9392nd meeting of the Security Council is called to order. The provisional agenda for this meeting is maintenance of International Peace and security, famine, and conflictinduced global Food Insecurity. The agenda is adopted. First, i wish to warmly welcome the distinguished ministers and other highlevel representatives. Your presence here today underscores the importance of the subject matter that is under discussion. In accordance with rule 37 of the councils provisional rules of procedure, i invite the representatives of algeria, argentina, armenia, australia, azerbaijan, bangladesh, belarus, the National State of bolivia, burkina faso, cambodia, chile, cuba, denmark, egypt, estonia, ethiopia, georgia, germany, guatemala, guyana, haiti, india, indonesia, ireland, israel, italy, jordan, kenya, latvia, lebanon, liberia, liechtenstein, mexico, morocco, myanmar, the kingdom of the netherlands, nigeria, oman, pakistan, panama, philippines, poland, portugal, qatar, the republic of korea, romania, saudi arabia, sierra leone, singapore, slovakia, slovenia, south africa, spain, thailand, tunisia, turkey, ukraine, the bolivarian republic of venezuela, vietnam, and yemen, to participate in this meeting. It is so decided. In accordance with rule 39 of the councils provisional rules of procedure, i invite the following briefers to participate in this meeting. Ms. Rena gala, United Nations famine profession and response coordinator, mr. David miliband, president and chief executive officer of the International Rescue committee, and ms. Naveen salam, founder and chief executive officer of adecia. It is so decided. In accordance with rule 39 of the councils provisional rules of procedure, i also invite the following to participate in the meeting. His excellency, delegation of the European Union to the United Nations, and his excellency, mr. Paul beresford hill, permanent observer of the sovereign order of malta to the United Nations. It is so decided. I propose that the council invite the permanent observer of the observer state of the holy see to the United Nations to participate in this meeting in accordance with the provisional rules of procedure and the previous practice in this regard. There being no objection, it is so decided. The Security Council will now begin its consideration of item two of the agenda. I wish to draw the attention of Council Members to document s 2023 560. A letter dated 26 july, 2023 from the permanent representative of the United States of america to the United Nations addressed to the president of the Security Council transmitting a concept paper on the item under consideration. The council has before it the text of a statement by the president on behalf of the council on the subject of todays meeting. I thank the Council Members for their valuable contributions to this statement. In accordance with the Understanding Reached among the members of the council, i shall take it that the members of the Security Council agree to the statement which will be issued as a document of the Security Council under the symbol s prst 2023 4. I now give the floor to ms. Rena galani. Over to you. Thank you, mr. President , excellencies, and thank you for the opportunity to take part in this briefing today. Mr. President , this council is more than aware of the multiple challenges and threats the world is facing today. But the threat of famine, people starving slowly to death, must be a red line. 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. These people, some 376,000, were facing faminelike conditions in seven countries. Another 35 Million People were on the edge. As in all crisis situations, women and children are the most impacted. This situation has not come as a surprise. It is a manmade crisis that has been swelling for years. We are now at the tipping point. Mr. President , hunger and conflict feed off each other. Conflict and insecurity remain key drivers of hunger and famine. Every one of the seven countries where people faced faminelike conditions last year were affected by Armed Conflict or extreme levels of violence. Five of those seven countries, afghanistan, haiti, somalia, south sudan, and yemen, are regularly on this councils agenda. Armed conflict destroys food systems, shatters livelihoods, and drives people from their homes, leaving many extremely vulnerable and hungry. Sometimes these impacts are byproducts of war, but all too often they are inflicted deliberately and unlawfully with hunger utilized as a tactic of war. Conflict does not spare those who are providing assistance to stave off famine. Last year, dozens of humanitarian workers were killed and many more were kidnapped or injured in situations of conflict. Humanitarian facilities and supplies also often come under attack, are looted, or used for military purposes. The difficulties the United Nations, ngos, and their partners are facing in sudan is a stark reminder, and our deepest condolences to the families of the 11 humanitarian workers killed in sudan. Food insecurity itself also fuels instability. For example, recent research highlighted by the World Food Program has shown how Food Insecurity, when coupled with preexisting grievances, desperation too often fueled by poverty and inequality, and governance issues cause people to choose violence over peace. It is the straw that breaks the camels back, often resulting in conflict. Mr. President , excellencies, conflictinduced hunger is compounded by a toxic mix of Climate Change and economic shocks. 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 climaterelated risks, seven are affected by conflict, six host a u. N. Peacekeeping or special political mission, and four have more than a Million People one step away from famine. At the same time, insecurity and conflictaffected countries hinders Climate Adaptation efforts. This leaves already vulnerable communities even poorer, hungrier, and less resilient. Mr. President and excellencies, the challenge may appear overwhelming, but progress has been, and is again, possible. So what can we do . First and foremost, we must redouble efforts to prevent, reduce, and end conflict in all its forms. 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. Where peace may still take time, five things are critical to reduce suffering and prevent famine. One, ensuring parties to conflicts respect International Humanitarian law. What can we do . Quick to the impact of war, such solutions are possible. We have resolutions in this council but they require political courage and compromise. For all, women and girls must be at the center of our efforts. They also hold the key to lasting solutions. Research has shown that involving local women increases the probability that violence will end by 24 . We also need to acknowledge that a halfway fragmented response will not cut it. We need adequate humanitarian funding on which the lives of millions depend. The secretary general has prioritized the threat of eminent and hunger among other initiatives in 2041, he created a Highlevel Task force on famine prevention. To organize a cohesive system response. Together, we are in the process to provide dedicated support to countries. As small children fought the dashboard for their lives, that eerie silence is deafening. Theyd never leave you. That silence is a call for action. As Martin Luther king said, famine is wholly unnecessary in the modern world. There is no deficit in human resources. The deficit is human will. I think you for your briefing. This debate means a lot to us and to our client. Every day, our staff lived out a simple mantra. Focus on the solutions, not the subject. My breathing takes the form of a plea to focus on the solutions, not the suffering. Five years ago, the council recognized the need to break the link of Armed Conflict and Food Insecurity. Five years later, there is more Armed Conflict, more famine, more malnutrition and more and more Food Insecurity. Food insecurity, the euphemism that is used for hunger and starvation. Today, oracle is to help 75,000 people facing famine like conditions. We have more than enough analysis. Prices are driven up. Competent box supplies. Coping capacities are depleted. We also note countries. Every single assessment has the same list. Somalia, afghanistan, nigeria, south sudan. The analysis is not in dispute. The analysis is too often followed by paralysis. We need new muscle in the international system. Not debating strategies and plans but the muscle of taking action. I present to the council five current problems followed by five immediate solutions. My colleagues on the federal right they draw attention to the impact of last years funding increases on children who have been treated. The year on year statistics show 80 of the worlds children are not getting any treatment at all. Different treatment and diagnosis protocols. Different products. Complicated Measurement Systems ill suited to conditions of conflict. The solution is staring us in the face. A simplified system in the hands of parents and Community Health workers who use tape to diagnose acute penetration and administer one or two doses of ready to use therapeutic food per day depending on whether the case is severe. Her old Impact Evaluation shows this approach will be tested on 27,000 children in mali. We show a 92 success rate with treatment with a cost saving of 30 . So more children can be reached for the same amount of money. This report should be made the norm. With delivery and funding to match. Problem number two, there is proliferation of different global initiatives on famine and Food Insecurity. Given new focus and a new mandate. Frankly, when the support for National Famine action plans in the countries most at risk. Support from national and local authorities. Support for global and Financial Institutions in funding and financing those plans. Support in diplomacy to unlock barriers on the grounds to scale up a response is important port entering delivery plans into action starting at the september meetings in the city. Problem number three, the United NationsDevelopment Program reports that the more fragile the context, the more amount of conflict, the less money is spent on Climate Adaptation. Her clients represent a disproportionate amount of climate risk. They are highly vulnerable and lack investment and resilience. The solution is to give climate finance humanitarian phase. Addressing the finance cap and this delivery gap. The finest cap arises because it is only 8 of all climate finance and adaptation is geared toward richer countries. We argue that a set percentage of every Adaptation Fund should be directed to fragile and conflicted states. We argue that donors need to increase the ratio of grants to concessional funding. They dont want to take on new loans. For example, treating them as the g20 panel recommended two weeks ago. There is a delivery gap. The money will not be spent in fragile and conflict states unless this is addressed. That means making it the norm. Not the exception for funding to be directed through Civil Society. This would be real localization. Problem number four, the rise of impunity and competence. This destroys firms and food warehouses. All illegal as well as immoral. The solution is the perpetrators need to be held to account. We do not need new resolutions for this but we need resolutions to uphold existing ones. The next time there is evidence of hunger, it must trigger action. All Nine Countries are at risk of famine. That is another euphemism for stopping humanitarian aid workers reaching people in need. We propose an independent office for the protection of humanitarian office which would ensure that when competence denies it, this information is reported without flavor to this council. Problem number five. Ngos usually start by asking for more money. I will end with it instead of starting with. The World Food Program is cutting its lifesaving Food Assistance programs today. Sometimes by as much it does not have as much money to the job. The solution is not complicated. Humanitarian response plans were on average only 50 funded in 2022. If these were funded to the same proportion as ukraine leicester, there would be another 5 billion in the system to address the most acute needs just in those Nine Countries. We need to address the threat of famine by look into the windshield, not through the rearview mirror. Once the famine is declared, it is too late for too many. Half the people who died died before the famine declaration was made. It is too late for too many to wait for a famine declaration. Phase three of the system, the international system, the crisis phase is triggered when one in five families are so desperate to find the next meal that they are considering marrying off their children were sending them out to work. This depends on cash being available. I want to end by quoted the Nobel Laureate whose landmark work on famine 50 years ago starts with these words. Starvation is the characteristic of not having enough food to eat. It is not the characteristic of their being theyre not being enough food to eat. We in Civil Society do not like ideas for which actions to take. But we need is the bill to enable them to happen. Thank you very much indeed. I give the floor now. Thank you, mr. President and to your excellencies. Today, i just met a twoyearold that weighed the same as my newborn daughter. It changed me forever. I have been just a vase with a mother and a starving child and i know we dont have time to spare. I feel the urgency and i see the fear in her eyes. I have seen children take their last breath. I watched their hearts stop beating. The first thing i hear is that deafening silence. The children dont have the strength to sit up. All of their energy is conserved to keep their organs from shutting down. We have that miracle. I am resenting the private sector. We make the food that saves lives. It is used in the treatment of severe acute malnutrition and is used by unicef, the World Food Program and usaid. It is a highly fortified Peanut Butter that is revolutionary in humanitarian settings. It delivers lifesaving nutrition. It has the power to rehabilitate 92 of children and just two months. We were 24 hours a day to produce enough of these miracle foods. Every day, the needs grow. More is needed. We manufacture here in the United States. Another eight partners are in the global south. Just a few months ago, i was deeply saddened. Everything was destroyed. Including thousands of boxes of the peanut that are going to go to the children of sudan. In haiti, violence persists. At everincreasing levels, forcing them to construct new security walls. The two biggest contributive factors to hunger and malnutrition are Climate Change and conflict. We have the easier problem to solve. Even if all the good effort put into addressing Climate Change, it will still take many decades. This is not true for conflict. We can the conflict. We, right here in this room. Right now, we have two choices. Annually, 1. 7 billion is needed to feed severely malnourished children. We have the responsibility to take action. 100 per child. They are struggling with critical funding shortfalls and are only able to reach 50 of the need. They are faced with the impossible decision of which appleby sentenced. E