David Beasley, director of the UN World Food Programme, told CNN last week that a single donation from the top 400 billionaires in America could help save tens of millions of people worldwide who are at risk of famine.
"The governments are tapped out. This is why ... the billionaires need to step up now on a one-time basis, $6 billion to help 42 million people that are literally going to die if we don't reach them," Beasley said. "It's not complicated."
He also named the two wealthiest men in the world specifically—Tesla CEO Elon Musk and Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos—and said they could make a huge impact.
"I'm not asking them to do this every day, every week, every year," he said. "We have a one-time crisis: a perfect storm of conflict, climate change and COVID. ... Just help me with them one time."
Musk took notice and said he'd agree to do it, but he has one condition.
"If WFP can describe on this Twitter thread exactly how $6B will solve world hunger, I will sell Tesla stock right now and do it," the billionaire tweeted. "But it must be open source accounting, so the public sees precisely how the money is spent."
If WFP can describe on this Twitter thread exactly how $6B will solve world hunger, I will sell Tesla stock right now and do it.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 31, 2021
While Beasley issued a flurry of responses, none actually fulfilled Musk's request.
The $8.4B you refer to covers what we needed to reach 115 million people in 2020 with food assistance. We need $6B plus NOW on top of our existing funding requirements due to the perfect storm from the compounding impact of Covid, conflict and climate shocks.
— David Beasley (@WFPChief) October 31, 2021
This article explains it well: https://t.co/I8uljHdjyo
— David Beasley (@WFPChief) October 31, 2021
Human Events Managing Editor Ian Miles Cheong explained why Beasley would never agree to be transparent.
"This will never happen, of course. If most people only knew how much money gets spent on contracts enriching friends of the administrators, society would be in open revolt. Happens in school districts and the DOD too."
This will never happen, of course. If most people only knew how much money gets spent on contracts enriching friends of the administrators, society would be in open revolt. Happens in school districts and the DOD too.
— Ian Miles Cheong @ stillgray.substack.com (@stillgray) October 31, 2021