The invasion of Ukraine, which has triggered a hefty increase in military spending among Western nations and a rise in humanitarian and military assistance to the beleaguered country, is now threatening to undermine the flow of ODA to the world’s poorer nations.
Two important reports were released last month, neither getting the kind of attention they deserve, writes Vijay Prashad for the Tricontinental: Institute for Social Research.
World military spending continued to grow in 2021, reaching an all-time high of $2.1 trillion. This was the seventh consecutive year that spending increased, reports the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).
The number of people suffering from extreme hunger reached an all-time high in 2021 and is on track to increase further this year—unless wealthy countries ramp up efforts to "tackle the root causes of food crises rather than just responding after they occur."
As the West is busy dealing with its own economic woes while cutting off Russian exports, little heed is being paid to those suffering the most, writes Ramzy Baroud.
The head of the U.N. food agency has warned that 13 million Yemenis are headed for starvation due to a protracted civil conflict and a lack of funding for humanitarian aid.
Just a fraction of the giant amount spent on the world's military - 2,000,000,000,000 US dollars - could meet the UN's major funding appeals for ending starvation and tackling the coronvirus pandemic, writes Baher Kamal for IPS news.
