United States Mission to the United Nations
Office of Press and Public Diplomacy
For Immediate Release
August 4, 2023
ICYMI: Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield Highlights Combatting Food Insecurity During First Week of UN Security Council Presidency
Over the past week, Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield spotlighted how she is bringing combatting food insecurity to the forefront of the UN agenda as the United States assumed the Presidency of the United Nations Security Council for the month of August.
On Saturday, July 29, the Ambassador participated in an interview with Ian Bremmer of “GZERO World” regarding the priorities of the United States during its August presidency of the United Nations Security Council. For the third year straight during the U.S. presidency of the Security Council, food insecurity issues are on the agenda. Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield noted that our “…signature since the day I arrived in New York…is to deal with issues of food insecurity.”
On Monday, July 31, Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield spoke with MSNBC’s Lawrence O’Donnell on this issue, including continuing to highlight Russia’s war against Ukraine and its withdrawal from the Black Sea Grain Initiative which only exacerbates global food insecurity.
Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield said during her Tuesday, August 1, interview with Leila Fadel of NPR’s “Morning Edition” that “…700 million people go to bed hungry every night – no one should have to go to bed hungry.”
“[Russia’s] attacks on Odesa are unacceptable – attacks on the grain infrastructure of Ukraine, the grain infrastructure that provides needed food assistance to Africa and the Middle East as well as elsewhere in the world,” the Ambassador noted during her Tuesday interview on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe”.
Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield continued, “And if we’re not talking about human rights elsewhere in the world, no one else will.”
During a New York Foreign Press Center (NYFPC) briefing on Monday, July 31, the Ambassador highlighted the second theme of the month: defending human rights. “As we approach the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, we will integrate human rights into this month’s Council meetings, and we will bring in voices from civil society to brief the Council on human rights abuses happening around the world,” said the Ambassador.
Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield previewed August’s planned Program of Work at a press conference at the UN on the first day of the U.S. presidency, which included the United States’ signature event focused on famine and conflict induced global food security. The open debate was chaired by Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
The Ambassador noted that if the UN Security Council comes together “we can take on the issues of our time; we can end famine and defend human rights; we can make meaningful progress on the 2030 Agenda; and we can build a more just, prosperous, and peaceful future for all.”
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