Answering Elon Musk's Challenge, UN Explains Plan To Use IDR 93.9 Trillion To Fight Hunger

JAKARTA - Director of the United Nations (UN) World Food Program (WFP) David Beasley has drawn up a plan to spend US$6.6 billion or around IDR 93,957,930,000,000 to fight world hunger.

In direct response to the immediate challenge of Tesla CEO Elon Musk, who claimed he would sell Tesla shares to fund a hunger-fighting program if the WFP could explain how the program would work.

David Beasley, the former Republican governor of South Carolina, tweeted a link Monday to a 1,000-word "executive summary". It maps out how the United Nations will deploy $6.6 billion worth of food and vouchers to feed more than 40 million people in 43 countries on the brink of starvation", thereby preventing what the WFP calls a looming "catastrophe".

In the document Beasley uploaded, WFP proposes to dedicate $3.5 billion to buying and delivering food in person, $2 billion to cash and food vouchers (including transaction fees) in places where markets can function and spend. Another $700 million to administer a new food program "adapted to domestic conditions" and ensure "assistance reaches the most vulnerable".

Meanwhile, another US$400 million was used for operations management, administration and accountability, and supply chain coordination.

"The world is on fire. I have warned of a perfect storm due to COVID-19, conflict, climate shocks & now, rising supply chain costs", he was quoted as saying by CNN on November 19.

"This hunger crisis is urgent, unprecedented, and avoidable", Beasley wrote in a separate tweet, tagging Musk, who is one of the world's richest people with a net worth of around $288 billion. "You asked for a clear plan & an open book. This is it! We are ready to talk to you and anyone serious about saving lives",

As of Wednesday afternoon, Elon Musk has not responded to this.

As previously reported, in an interview with CNN last month, Beasley called on billionaires to "step now, one time" to help fight world hunger, specifically citing two of the world's richest people, Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos.

Beasley said giving away $6 billion, or about 2 percent of Musk's net worth, could help tackle world hunger.

Musk responded on Twitter, writing, "If WFP can explain in this Twitter thread exactly how $6 billion will tackle world hunger, I'll sell Tesla stock right now and do it".

"But it has to be open source accounting, so the public sees exactly how the money is being spent", Musk added.

Beasley previously replied to Musk's tweet, assuring him there was a system for transparency and open source accounting.

"For him to get into this conversation is a game-changer because simply put, we can answer his questions, we can put forward a clear plan", Beasley told CNN in a follow-up interview earlier this month.

"Any and everything he asks, we will be happy to answer. I look forward to discussing with him because lives are at stake".

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the world hunger crisis was exacerbated by climate change and conflict. The pandemic is exacerbating existing problems, leaving "42 million people literally knocking on the door of hunger. This is the worst-case scenario", he said.

It's unclear whether Musk or Bezos have seen the plan and will ultimately decide to lend their aid. A spokesman for Musk's company did not respond to a request for comment. A representative for Bezos, Angela Landers, declined to comment on the WFP proposal but pointed to other philanthropic contributions Bezos has made to fight hunger.

Elon Musk has previously made bold promises on Twitter, giving resources to charitable efforts. In 2018, for example, he pledged to "fund water repairs to any home in Flint that has water contamination above the FDA level". Musk ended up donating about half a million dollars to install water filters in the city's schools, according to an August article from a local news outlet.

In addition, Musk has made larger donations to certain projects. This year, he pledged to donate $30 million to Brownsville, Texas, the closest city to a major rocket hub run by his company SpaceX, and local schools.

He also founded the Musk Foundation, which supports efforts related to renewable energy expansion, human space exploration, and the safe use of artificial intelligence. He also signed The Giving Pledge, a promise to donate at least half of his wealth to charitable causes during his lifetime, something Bezos has yet to do.