“Conflict and hunger, peace and food security. These are really inextricably linked.”

As Afghans prepare for winter, they are on the brink of another crisis — hunger. War and conflict have shut down the economy, displaced hundreds of thousands, and caused food prices to rise. 22.8 million are facing acute food insecurity. People who have survived years of war are now at risk of dying without a single shot being fired.

People around the world face severe challenges to access food because of war. In Episode 5 of Better Food. Better World., Elizabeth Nyamayaro and her guests explain why conflict and war are some of the leading causes of hunger. First-hand accounts from the assistant executive director of the United Nations World Food Programme, Valerie Guarnieri, and Mary-Ellen McGroarty, the World Food Programme country director of Afghanistan, lay out the stark choices of many people, especially women face day in and day out when living in a conflict zone. Yet, there is light to be found even in the darkest times. Opera singer and UN WFP Advocate, Zeina Barhoum shares her message of love and the moments she has experienced that gives us hope.

Key Moments:

• 1:50 - Mary-Ellen McGroarty opens the episode with an urgent call to action.
• 3:09 - Elizabeth Nyamayaro introduces this week’s episode.
• 4:00 - Valerie Guarnieri shares her first-hand experience with communities facing conflict and hunger.
• 8:47 - Mary-Ellen McGroarty describes her meetings with Afghans during visits to field offices in Fayzabad and Kunduz.
• 13:48 - Listen to a snippet of “Wings of Love” from Jordan artist Zeina Barhoum.
• 19:35 - Zeina Barhoum shares what she learned from visiting Syrian refugees in Jordan.
• 22:49 - Elizabeth asks Zeina Barhoum and Mary-Ellen McGroarty to share their wish for better food and a better world.

Selected Links:

https://www.wfp.org/

Join the Conversation on Social Media:

#BetterFoodBetterWorld

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Twitter: https://twitter.com/WFP

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/world-food-programme

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Connect with Elizabeth and Our Guests:

Elizabeth Nyamayaro

Humanitarian and author of ‘I am a Girl From Africa’, Elizabeth Nyamayaro is the Special Advisor for the UN World Food Programme. Over the past two decades, she has worked at the forefront of global development and has held leadership roles at the World Bank, World Health Organization, UNAIDS, UN Women, and Merck. Her track record building and leading public-private partnerships is a key asset to WFP as it advocates for global solidarity to end world hunger.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/enyamayaro

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/enyamayaro/

Valerie Guarnieri - WFP Assistant Executive Director

Since January 2018, Valerie Newsom Guarnieri has been WFP Assistant Executive Director. In this role, she leads cutting-edge program and policy development to end hunger. This includes spearheading WFP efforts to ensure protection and inclusion, expand school meals and nutrition programmes while empowering women, build resilient food systems, support cash transfers and ensure social protection.

Before WFP, Valerie worked in the U.S. Government, at the National Security Council and the US Agency for International Development (USAID), as part of dedicated, interdisciplinary teams trained to save lives and help create conditions for sustainable peace, with a particular focus in Africa.

Mary-Ellen McGroarty - WFP Country Director of Afghanistan

Ireland-born Mary-Ellen McGroarty is the Country Director of Afghanistan at the World Food Programme. A lawyer by trade, Mel began working with the UN World Food Programme in 1997. Mary-Ellen’s roles with the World Food Programme have taken her to numerous countries including Chad, South Sudan, Burundi and now Afghanistan. For her work in Afghanistan, Mary-Ellen has been interviewed and featured in the Irish Times, NY Times, on PBS, NPR and with other numerous media outlets across the world.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/mcgroartyme

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mary-ellen-mcgroarty-57681437/

Zeina Barhoum, Opera Singer

Zeina Barhoum is an award-winning Opera singer and UN WFP Advocate. In 2017, she founded the Amman Opera Festival, the first Opera festival in the Arab World, under the Patronage of HRH Princess Muna Al Hussein. Her album Alcantara, released in 2017, was produced with the goal of bridging cultures through music. On the 25th of October 2020, in collaboration with Opera for Peace and UNESCO Zeina represented Jordan at World Opera Day. Zeina has performed on some of the world’s most prestigious stages in Italy, Austria, the UK, France, Ukraine, China, Jordan, UAE and Lebanon.

In 2022, Zeina’s first pop album, "Wings of Love" is scheduled to be released.

Web: https://zeinabarhoum.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zeinabarhoum/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/zeinabarhoum