Canada renews support for Canadian Foodgrains Bank to help provide food to people affected by humanitarian crises

The world is facing an unprecedented global hunger and malnutrition emergency. Assistance is required to help affected countries avert famine and to ensure that other countries do not reach those levels of food insecurity.

The Honourable Harjit S. Sajjan, Minister of International Development and Minister responsible for the Pacific Economic Development Agency of Canada, today announced that Canada is providing $75 million over 3 years to Canadian Foodgrains Bank (CFGB).

With this support, CFGB will provide much-needed food and nutrition assistance to help ease the suffering of people in emergency and acute hunger situations worldwide.

The COVID-19 pandemic has continued to exacerbate food insecurity, with at least 283 million people currently acutely food-insecure—or at high risk of becoming so—and in need of urgent assistance.

In response to the growing food-insecurity crisis in 2021, Canada announced $155 million in new funding in August 2021 to help avert famine in affected countries by supporting the provision of emergency cash or in-kind food and nutrition assistance, life-saving integrated nutrition and water, sanitation and hygiene interventions and critical nutrition interventions, such as vitamin A supplementation and school meals.

Quotes

“In 2020, the world experienced the single largest increase in global hunger ever recorded, a trend that has only continued this year. This predictable and multi-year funding to Canadian Foodgrains Bank will help ensure that food and nutritional support is provided to those who need it most in times of crisis.”

– Harjit S. Sajjan, Minister of International Development and Minister responsible for the Pacific Economic Development Agency of Canada

Quick facts

• In the 2019 to 2020 fiscal year, CFGB reached 989,000 people experiencing humanitarian emergencies in 33 countries, including the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Lebanon and South Sudan.
• Global Affairs Canada has been supporting CFGB since 1983, and with multi-year funding since 1987.
• At the G7 Summit in June 2021, Canada signed on to the G7 Famine Prevention and Humanitarian Crises Compact, underscoring the country’s commitment to better supporting food security around world.