A United Nations (UN) report has said over 122 million more people have been facing hunger in the world since 2019 due to pandemic and repeated weather shocks and conflicts, including the war in Ukraine.
The UN agencies disclosed this in a press release, Thursday, adding that Africa remains the worst-affected region with one in five people facing hunger on the Continent, more than twice the global average.
The heads of the five UN agencies, FAO Director-General QU Dongyu; IFAD President Alvaro Lario; UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell; WFP’s Executive Director Cindy McCain; and WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus write in the report’s Foreword: “No doubt, achieving the Sustainable Development Goals’ target of Zero Hunger by 2030 poses a daunting challenge.
FAO Director-General, QU Dongyu said: “Recovery from the global pandemic has been uneven, and the war in Ukraine has affected the nutritious food and healthy diets. This is the ‘new normal’ where climate change, conflict, and economic instability are pushing those on the margins even further from safety. We cannot take a business-as-usual approach.”
IFAD President, Alvaro Lario: “A world without hunger is possible. What we are missing is the investments and political will to implement solutions at scale. We can eradicate hunger if we make it a global priority. Investments in small-scale farmers and in their adaptation to climate change, access to inputs and technologies, and access to finance to set up small agribusinesses can make a difference. Small-scale producers are part of the solution. Properly supported, they can produce more food, diversify production, and supply both urban and rural markets – feeding rural areas and cities nutritious and locally grown food.’’
UNICEF Executive Director, Catherine Russell: “Malnutrition is a major threat to children’s survival, growth and development. The scale of the nutrition crisis demands a stronger response focused on children, including prioritizing access to nutritious and affordable diets and essential nutrition services, protecting children and adolescents from nutrient-poor, ultra-processed foods, and strengthening food and nutrition supply chains including for fortified and therapeutic foods for children.”
WFP Executive Director, Cindy McCain: “Malnutrition is a major threat to children’s survival, growth and development. The scale of the nutrition crisis demands a much stronger response focused on children. Solutions include prioritizing access to nutritious and affordable diets and essential nutrition services, protecting children and adolescents from nutrient-poor, ultra-processed foods, and strengthening food and nutrition supply chains, including for fortified and therapeutic foods for children.”
WHO Director-General, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus: “Child wasting remains unacceptably high and there has been no progress in reducing child overweight. We need targeted public policies, investments and actions to create healthier food environments for all.”
UN Secretary-General António Guterres: “We must build resilience against the crises and shocks that drive food insecurity-from conflict to climate,” he said through a video message during the launch of the report at the UN Headquarters in New York.