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FEDERALhearing transcript

High Impact

Senate Hearing on Global Famine Crisis

Original title: ``THE FOUR FAMINES'': ROOT CAUSES AND A MULTILATERAL ACTION PLAN

January 1, 2019

humanitarian aid famine foreign policy international development Yemen South Sudan Somalia Nigeria

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The Frame

What this does

The hearing serves as a formal record of congressional oversight regarding U.S. humanitarian strategy and potential future funding or policy shifts concerning international aid to four countries currently facing famine conditions.

Who is mentioned in the record

Potentially affected actors named in the source documents. Mention is not a position.

Humanitarian aid organizations

These organizations provide testimony and operational data to influence U.S. foreign policy and funding priorities.

Residents of famine-affected countries

The policy decisions discussed in this hearing directly impact the availability of international aid and resources in their regions.

What changed

Last recorded activity January 1, 2019.

What's next

Next step not available in the current record.

Summary

This Senate subcommittee hearing examined the root causes of famine in Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan, and Yemen. The session focused on identifying immediate, actionable steps for the U.S. government, s, and international partners to prevent mass starvation in these regions.

Key Facts

The hearing was held on July 18, 2017, by the Senate Subcommittee on Multilateral International Development.
The primary focus was the humanitarian crisis in four specific countries: Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan, and Yemen.
The hearing aimed to move beyond status updates to identify specific, immediate actions for governments and NGOs to prevent starvation.
The record includes testimony from officials representing USAID, the World Food Programme, UNICEF, the International Committee of the Red Cross, Mercy Corps, and Refugees International.
A report was submitted for the record regarding a Saudi-led coalition blocking a UN aid flight carrying journalists to Yemen.

Why It Matters

Frequently Asked Questions

What was the purpose of this hearing?

To understand the root causes of famine in four specific countries and to identify immediate actions that the U.S. and international partners can take to prevent mass starvation.

Which countries were discussed?

Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan, and Yemen.

News Coverage

No news coverage found yet. Articles are indexed twice daily.

Discoveries

Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.

cross reference100% confidence

Yemen Aid Blockade

The hearing record explicitly includes a Reuters report regarding a Saudi-led coalition blocking UN aid flights, highlighting the intersection of military conflict and humanitarian access.

Yemen Saudi-led coalition

Connected Entities

personMatthew Nims“Acting Director, Office of Food for Peace, USAID”Map →

personJustin Forsyth“Deputy Executive Director, UNICEF”Map →

personDominik Stillhart“Director of Operations, International Committee of the Red Cross”Map →

personTodd Young“Chairman of the Subcommittee on Multilateral International Development”Map →

personDeepmala Mahla“South Sudan Director, Mercy Corps”Map →

personEric Schwartz“President, Refugees International”Map →

personJeff Merkley“Ranking Member of the Subcommittee”Map →

personDavid Beasley“Executive Director, World Food Programme”Map →

Sources

Open source document

www.govinfo.gov

Analysis Score

0–100

Significance80
How much this matters to a regular citizen
Controversy40
Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
Entertainment10
Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
Buzz20
Current news / social attention level

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