The world is at risk of yet another year of record hunger as the global food crisis continues to drive yet more people into worsening levels of acute food insecurity, warns the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP). In a statement this week, to mark today’s World Food Day, the UN agency called for urgent action to address the root causes of the hunger crisis.
WFP says the unprecedented global food crisis is a confluence of competing crises – caused by climate shocks, conflict, and economic pressures – that has pushed the number of hungry men, women and children around the world from 282 million to 345 million in just the first months of this year. The organization warns the situation can and will get worse unless there is a large scale and coordinated effort to address the root causes of the global food crisis. The UN agency calls for urgent action to avoid another year of record hunger.
WFP and its humanitarian partners are currently holding back famine in five countries – Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Somalia, South Sudan and Yemen, where conflict continues to drive the most vulnerable into catastrophic hunger, with communications disrupted, humanitarian access restricted, and communities displaced. The war in Ukraine has also disrupted global trade pushing up transport costs and lead times while leaving farmers lacking access to the agricultural inputs they need. The UN agency says the knock-on effect on upcoming harvests will reverberate around the world.
Climate shocks are increasing in frequency and intensity, leaving those affected no time to recover between disasters. An unprecedented drought in the Horn of Africa is pushing more people into alarming levels of food insecurity, with famine now projected in Somalia. Floods have devastated homes and farmland in several countries, most strikingly in Pakistan. WFP says anticipatory action must be at the core of the humanitarian response to protect the most vulnerable from these climate shocks.
World Food Day is observed worldwide each year on October 16 to commemorate the date of the founding of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in 1945 and promote awareness in support of those who suffer from hunger and malnutrition. The international day is also celebrated by many other organizations concerned with hunger and food security. The theme for 2022 is "Leave NO ONE Behind".
The World Food Programme is the world’s largest humanitarian organization. The UN agency, awarded the 2020 Nobel Peace Prize, is saving lives in emergencies and using food assistance to support people recovering from conflict, disasters and the impact of climate change. The World Food Programme works in over 120 countries and territories. For millions of people worldwide, WFP assistance can make the difference between life and death.
Further information
Full text: WFP calls for action on World Food Day to avoid another year of record hunger, World Food Programme press release, published October 13, 2022
https://www.wfp.org/news/wfp-calls-action-world-food-day-avoid-another-year-record-hunger
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations: World Food Day
https://www.fao.org/world-food-day/en
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