Biden administration will outline $10 billion commitment to end hunger in US and abroad
By Jason Hoffman, CNN
The Biden administration on Thursday will outline how the United States will allocate a $10 billion commitment to the effort to “end hunger and invest in food systems at home and abroad,” saying $5 billion will go toward strengthening food systems in America and $5 billion for overseas.
The investments will be laid out during Thursday’s United Nations Food Systems Summit, which will be attended by Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, US Agency for International Development Administrator Samantha Power, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and global partners.
President Joe Biden had announced the investment during his speech at the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday.
The allocation, which has bipartisan support on Capitol Hill, will be an investment over five years to “make sure that we’re working over time to address these challenges,” a senior administration official told reporters on a call previewing the summit.
“We want to prepare proactively in the future for the things that we can see on the horizon that are already going to destabilize our food supply,” the official said.
The summit, according to the official, will focus on three priorities: food security and nutrition for all; climate change and mitigation and adaptation; and the creation of an inclusive and equitable food system that addresses the needs of the world’s most vulnerable people.
The official pointed to how the Covid-19 pandemic and climate crisis have negatively impacted food systems at home and abroad, noting that the investments will focus on issues of water, equitable access and resilient food systems in the face of economic disruptions.
The official also highlighted the US joining the Global Coalition on School Meals, which aims to support comprehensive school feeding programs across the world and provide all schoolchildren with nutritious meals in school by 2030.
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