Idris Elba, an actor, and his wife Sabrina Dhowre Elba urged corporate and governmental leaders to invest in rather than give out aid to the world's poorest nations on Monday.
At the opening ceremony of the World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting in the Swiss mountain town of Davos, the Elbas were honoured for their contributions to environmental conservation, food security, and climate change.
The two, who are Goodwill Ambassadors for the United Nations International Fund for Agricultural Development, urged summit participants to give immediate financial assistance to those threatened by food insecurity and climate change.
According to Idris Elba, many who are less fortunate around the world prefer investment to charitable giving.
“We understand the power and change that can come from this room … We can move with agility and speed, and your speed is needed now,” the hero of “Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom” and “Beasts of No Nation,” said.
Sabrina Dhowre Elba brought attention to the food shortages in nations like Somalia, Haiti, and Sudan by concentrating on the struggle of small-scale farmers who produce one-third of the world’s food but lack the means to do so.
They were to Davos to bring attention to those “not making the headlines as much as my husband,” she told her partner.