Posted on 19 June 2024
As the Group of Seven (G7) prepares to convene in Italy, the world faces a dire humanitarian crisis. Conflicts in regions such as Sudan and Gaza are pushing millions to the brink of starvation. The Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Martin Griffiths, has called on G7 leaders to use their influence to prevent a manmade famine. He stresses that waiting for an official declaration of famine before taking action would be a death sentence for hundreds of thousands of people. In Gaza, over one million people are expected to face death and starvation by mid-July, while in Sudan, at least five million people are teetering on the edge of starvation. The situation is worsened by intense fighting, restrictions, and insufficient funding, which hinder aid workers from delivering essential supplies.
Griffiths states that humanitarian aid alone cannot resolve the conflicts that are depriving millions of their livelihoods. He urges G7 countries to leverage their political and financial resources to ensure aid reaches those in need. This includes moving large amounts of humanitarian assistance across borders and battle lines and mobilising considerable funding to sustain the response. More importantly, he calls for an end to the conflicts that are fuelling hunger, advocating for diplomacy to restore hope and futures for the affected populations. The G7 leaders have a crucial role to play in addressing this preventable scourge and must act swiftly to avert a catastrophe.
Source: OCHA
Photo: Oxfam East Africa, via Wikimedia Commons