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PRESS RELEASE

For Immediate Release

May 27, 2021

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Airen Washington, Communications Director

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Congressional Black Caucus Hosts Briefing with David Beasley, Executive Director of The UN World Food Programme

CBC Members discuss with the Executive Director of the UN WFP on the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on some African countries.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Congressman Steven Horsford, 1^st Vice-Chair of the 57 Member Congressional Black Caucus (CBC), Executive Leadership, and CBC Members, met with the Executive Director of The United Nations (UN) World Food Programme (WFP), Mr. David Beasley.

The CBC recognized the commemoration of African Liberation Day, which celebrates the formation of the present-day African Union. This week, CBC Members participated in a virtual meeting with WFP Executive Director David Beasley to discuss humanitarian and peacebuilding efforts in Africa after the pandemic. WFP, the world’s largest humanitarian organization, was awarded the 2020 Nobel Peace prize for its “efforts to combat hunger, for its contribution to bettering conditions for peace in conflict-affected areas, and for acting as a driving force in efforts to prevent the use of hunger as a weapon of war and conflict.”

“Because of COVID, the number of people knocking on the door of starvation has gone from 135 million to 270 million,” said Mr. Beasley, who is based in Rome, Italy and currently serves as the Executive Director of the United Nations WFP.

The COVID-19 pandemic has harshly impacted the African continent and left many African nations struggling. Countries like South Sudan suffer from hunger and famine-like conditions due to spiraling food prices and a downturn in donor support. Outside the United States, WFP’s work is vital to thousands of local constituencies from Sub-Saharan Africa. The CBC acknowledged that the work of WFP is crucial to eliminating hunger and bolstering economic, health, and national security. The CBC is looking forward to hearing more in its mission to save lives in emergencies and use food assistance to build a pathway to stability and prosperity for people recovering from conflict, disasters, and the ongoing impacts of climate change.

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