- Elon Musk dared the UN to show him how $6 billion could fight world hunger.
- The UN has gotten back to the world's richest person with a proposal.
- Musk said he would "sell Tesla stock and do it" if the UN could show how the money would be spent.
Elon Musk dared the United Nations to show him how $6 billion of his wealth could address world hunger. On Monday, the UN got back to him with a plan.
The UN's food-assistance branch, the World Food Programme (WFP), laid out how $6.6 billion in investments could prevent 42 million people across 43 countries from starving. The head of the WFP, David Beasley, called out Musk, the world's richest person by far, in a tweet announcing the proposal.
"This hunger crisis is urgent, unprecedented, AND avoidable. @elonmusk, you asked for a clear plan & open books. Here it is!," Beasley said. "We're ready to talk with you – and anyone else – who is serious about saving lives."
—David Beasley (@WFPChief) November 15, 2021
Late last month, Musk challenged the WFP to explain how $6 billion could solve world hunger. He said if the organization could show exactly how the money would be spent, he would "sell Tesla stock right now and do it."
Musk's challenge was a response to a CNN interview with Beasley during which he called on billionaires like Musk and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos to chip in $6 billion — a small amount in proportion to their vast fortunes — to save millions of people at risk of starvation.
The WFP's proposal, titled "A one-time appeal to billionaires," describes how billions donated by the world's richest people could be spend to stave off hunger. It includes $3.5 billion for food and its delivery and $2 billion for cash and food vouchers, among other expenditures.