March 13, 2025
Former South Carolina Governor and Chief of UN World Food Program David Beasley said U.S. international aid serves a dual purpose that is not only beneficial to people in foreign countries, they also benefits Americans at home.
“The strategic effective international aid saves taxpayers money and improve the image of America as well as the US’ financial and national security interests. It is critical. It saves money and it saves lives,” Beasley said in a conversation with Liz Schrayer, President and CEO of U.S. Global Leadership Coalition during a virtual event where they were discussing the recent cuts to the U.S. Agency for International Development and other impacts from Department of Government Efficiency’s cut on the federal government.
Beasley, a one-term Republican Governor of South Carolina was chosen in 2017 by Ambassador Nikki Haley, who was then the U.S. Ambassador to the U.N., to lead the WFP.
Beasley served in that role until 2023 and was instrumental during the COVID-19 pandemic in ensuring that vulnerable people living in conflict zones received food and other humanitarian assistance they needed. He also led the Black Sea Grain initiative negotiation in the early days of the Russia-Ukraine war to avert a major global food crisis.
The WFP-chartered vessel “Brave Commander” is the first humanitarian cargo vessel to arrive in Ukraine’s Black Sea Ports since the start of the war, under the recent Black Sea Grain initiative, and the first vessel to be loaded in Pivdennyi port, Yuzhny, Odesa.
It is expected to be the 15th vessel to leave Black Sea ports since the signing of the tripartite agreement between Russia, Ukraine and the United Nations.
It will carry 23,000 metric tons of wheat to Ethiopia, where it will help support WFP’s response to the hunger crisis in the Horn of Africa.
The near complete halt of Ukrainian grain and food on global market has made life even harder for families already struggling with rising hunger. A record 345 million people in 82 countries now facing acute food insecurity while up to 50 million people in 45 countries are right on the edge of famine and risk being tipped over without humanitarian support.
Ukraine exported up to 6 million tonnes of grain a month before the conflict erupted in February 2022 – export volumes had then fallen to an average of 1 million tonnes per month.
Getting Ukrainian grain to WFP’s humanitarian operations in places like Ethiopia, Somalia and Yemen will ensure a double benefit to both Ukraine’s economy and famine risk populations in areas of the world hardest hit by the global food crisis.
In a suburb of Moldova’s capital, Chisinau, Moldovan citizens are registering with WFP to receive cash assistance. WFP will provide one-off cash support of Lei 3,500 (USD 190) to Moldovan households hosting refugees from Ukraine. That cash will be withdrawn from their nominated bank account, any Western Union outlets, or any Post Office (Posta Moldovei) branch. The cash assistance is intended to help families meet the additional costs by hosting additional household members.
Photo WFP/Edward Johnson
In his conversation with Schrayer, Beasley said most Americans, including public officials, have misconceptions when it comes to foreign aid and why it’s critical to U.S. national security.
“[People who] ask why should I send my taxpayer funding dollars when I got funding needs right here on education and healthcare and infrastructure. You’re not doing it at the goodness of your heart. But at the national security interest and your financial interest,” he emphasized.
He underscored that “food is the pathway to peace. That’s the positive way of saying it. But there’s a negative way of saying it, which is the lack of food is the pathway to war.”
He noted that people, especially mothers in conflict zones told him their sons or husbands do not want to join terrorist groups but when there are few options to choose from, people are forced to make that hard decision to feed their families.
