November 16. The second regular session of the WFP Executive Board began its work by videoconference.

In his opening remarks, D.Beasley, the Programme Executive Director, drew attention to a sharp increase in the number of people suffering from hunger around the globe. Their total number is projected to surpass the mark of 270 million people (an increase of more than 135 million people) in 2021. At the same time, the Head of the world's largest humanitarian Agency did not rule out doubling or even tripling of this figure in the event of a further exacerbation of the COVID-19 pandemic situation.

The Executive Director provided a comprehensive overview of WFP's efforts to increase the number of humanitarian aid recipients to 101 million in 2021 and to expand the Program's donor base. By the end of 2020, it is expected to attract about $ 8.6 billion donor resources. At the same time, Beasley noted the growing gap between current funding and global food needs, which are now estimated by the Programme at $ 12.3 billion and threaten to break the 15 billion mark in 2021.

The UN Secretary General A. Guterres, together with the President of the World Bank Group D.Malpass, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund K.Georgieva, the Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) A.Steiner and The Under-Secretary-General and Emergency Relief Coordinator (USG/ERC) M. Lowcock took part as panelists in the High-Level Segment of the session, which was dedicated to overcoming barriers in a joint response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Head of the Russian Delegation at the Annual Session of the WFP Executive Council, Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to the UN Agencies in Rome (FAO, WFP and IFAD) Victor Vasiliev drew attention to the need to coordinate international efforts in response to the coronavirus pandemic. He stressed the importance of providing humanitarian assistance to countries in need, primarily to those experiencing conflicts, and informed about the Russian contribution to WFP's activities, which by the end of 10 months of this year has already exceeded $ 60 million. A special emphasis in his statement was made on the revitalization of the preparation process for the UN Summit on Food Systems in 2021, including the activities of Roman international organizations. He also praised the Programme for the 2020 Nobel Peace Prize.

The session will continue its work until November 20.