It's time for Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, and other billionaires to 'step up' and help end hunger crisis, says head of UN's World Food Program

• World Food Program chief David Beasley is calling on billionaires like Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos to help tackle world hunger.
• At Davos, he told the AP, "The world is in real serious trouble. This is not rhetoric and B.S. Step up now, because the world needs you."

The world's richest people could drastically reduce world hunger by donating a small fraction of their fortunes, and it's high time they do, according to the head of the Unite Nation's World Food Program.

David Beasley, the agency's executive director, told the Associated Press at the World Economic Forum's Annual Meeting in Davos, Switzerland, this week that he's again calling on billionaires like Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos to give money to the effort.

"The world is in real serious trouble," he said. "This is not rhetoric and B.S. Step up now, because the world needs you."

Beasley also referred back to a Twitter exchange between him and Musk on the subject last year. After Beasley said in a CNN interview that $6 billion from Musk could help 42 million people on the brink of starvation, Musk vowed to sell Tesla stock to make the donation if Beasley detailed where the money would go.

"If WFP can describe on this Twitter thread exactly how $6B will solve world hunger, I will sell Tesla stock right now and do it," Musk wrote.

Beasley responded at the time: "$6B will not solve world hunger, but it WILL prevent geopolitical instability, mass migration and save 42 million people on the brink of starvation. An unprecedented crisis and a perfect storm due to Covid/conflict/climate crises."

Beasley later laid out how the money would be used in a Twitter thread but says, despite meeting Musk's demand, he still hasn't seen a donation.

"Musk put $6 billion into a foundation," Beasley told the AP at Davos. "But everybody thought it came to us, but we ain't gotten any of it yet. So I'm hopeful."

In November, Musk donated more than 5 million Tesla shares, worth about $5.7 billion at the time, to an unidentified charity, according to an SEC filing.

"I don't know what it's going to take," Beasley continued to the AP. "We're trying every angle, you know: Elon, we need your help, brother."

Musk and Bezos did not immediately respond to requests for comment.