[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Suhwan] The head of the World Food Programme (WFP), a United Nations relief agency, recently called on billionaires whose assets have significantly increased due to the stock market boom to make a 'generous' donation to solve the hunger problem.
David Beasley, WFP Executive Director, said in an interview with CNN on the 26th (local time), "Please step forward just this once," adding, "We need $6 billion (about 7 trillion KRW) to help 42 million people who will literally die if we do not extend a helping hand."
This proposal was directed at the world's richest individuals, including Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, and Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon.
According to Bloomberg's ranking of billionaires worldwide with a net worth of over $1 billion, Musk ranks first with $287 billion (about 335 trillion KRW), and Bezos is second with $196 billion (about 229 trillion KRW).
The $6 billion proposed by Beasley amounts to only about 2% of Musk's net worth and 3% of Bezos's net worth.
According to the American progressive group 'Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy,' the net worth of U.S. billionaires has doubled since the COVID-19 pandemic, reaching $5.04 trillion (about 5,888 trillion KRW) as of October this year.
Beasley emphasized, "(A one-time donation) is not a difficult task," adding, "We are not asking for daily, weekly, or yearly contributions."
He explained that the current moment is a 'perfect storm' caused by the combined effects of three major crises: climate change, the COVID-19 pandemic, and war, making urgent support essential.
In a report published on the 25th, WFP stated that Afghanistan is on the humanitarian brink due to high unemployment and liquidity crises, with 3.2 million children under the age of five facing danger.
WFP estimates that about 5.2 million people in the Tigray region of Ethiopia, where civil war has occurred, urgently need food assistance.
In this region controlled by the regional party Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), millions of civilians have died and about 2 million refugees have been displaced due to ongoing government offensives since last year.
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