World is moving backwards on eliminating hunger and malnutrition, UN report reveals |
That represents an increase of about 46 million since 2020, when COVID-19 The pandemic has pushed the world economy into a downward spiral and added 150 million people since 2019.
2022 edition of Situation of food security and nutrition in the world (SOFI) report presents updates on food security and nutrition around the world, including the latest estimates of the cost and affordability of a healthy diet.
It also looks at ways governments can repurpose their current support for agriculture to help make healthy and nutritious food cheaper, noting the limited public resources available in many places. In the world.
BILLIONHis report is a joint publication of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the United Nations World Food Program (WFP) and the World Health Organization (WHO).
Numbers tell a grim story
- Up to 828 million people will be affected by hunger by 2021 – 46 million more people than a year ago and 150 million more people from 2019.
- After being relatively unchanged since 2015, the proportion of people affected by hunger skyrocket in 2020 and continue to increase in 2021, to 9.8 percent of the world population. This compares to 8% in 2019 and 9.3% in 2020.
- Most of 3.1 billion people cannot afford a healthy diet in 2020, up 112 million from 2019reflects the impact of inflation on consumer food prices stemming from the economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and the measures taken to contain it.
- Estimate 45 million children under the age of 5 are at risk, the deadliest form of malnutrition, increases a child’s risk of death by up to 12 times. Again 149 million children under 5 years of age stunted growth and grow due to a lack of essential nutrients in their diets, while 39 million people are overweight.
Breastfeeding progress
Progress is being made towards exclusive breastfeeding, with almost 44 percent of infants under six months, exclusively breastfed worldwide by 2020.
However, this figure is still low compared to the 50% target set by the 2030 Development Development Goals (SDGs).
Overall, twow out of three children are not given the minimally varied diet they need for growth and development to their full potential, the report noted, with care.
Going forward, SOFI’s analysis predicts that nearly 670 million people (8% of the world’s population) will still face hunger by 2030 – even if a global economic recovery is taken into account.
This is a similar number to 2015, when the goal of ending hunger, food insecurity and malnutrition by the end of the decade was set by 2030. Sustainable development program. In other words, the SDGs will fail to get the world to fight hunger.
‘Shocking’ report card: Mohammed
Deputy Secretary General Amina Mohammed, say the metric is a “shocking account of our efforts to end hunger – and we can and must do better. “
She notes that it includes billions of people who have limited or cut back on their food intake, or started eating less nutritious foods, because they can’t afford alternative foods.
“These are people whose lives, livelihoods and prospects for a productive and dignified life are being underminedwith their futures eroded and their potential and aspirations stifled,” she said, speaking at the SOFI launch in New York.
“They need our determination to interrupt. The evidence presented in this report is convincing because it is outrageous when we see that children in rural areas and poorer households, whose mothers are not formally educated, are even more susceptible to stunting and emaciation. “
Ukraine, climate change
The report also highlights the damaging impact of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which has disrupted supplies of staple grains, oilseeds and fertilizers from both countries, as well as international supply chains – making Prices as well as medical foods are available to skyrocket for severely malnourished children.
This comes as supply chains are being negatively impacted by increasingly frequent extreme climate events, especially in low-income countries, and have the potential to severely impact food security. global food and nutrition.
“This report repeatedly emphasizes an increase in the main causes of food insecurity and malnutrition: conflict, extreme climate and economic shocks, combined with growing inequalitythe The heads of five United Nations agencies wrote in their words earlier this year. “The question is not whether the adversities will continue to happen, but How we must act stronger to build resilience to future shocks. “
Dealer head
FAO Director General QU Dongyu, noted thatlow-income countries, where agriculture is key to the economy, jobs and rural livelihoods, “have very few public resources to reuse. FAO is committed to continuing its cooperation with these countries to explore opportunities to enhance the delivery of public services to all parties in the agricultural system. “
“That is sad numbers for humanity, IFAD President Gilbert Houngbo said. “We continue to move away from our goal of ending hunger by 2030. The spillover effects of the global food crisis will most likely worsen results again next year. We need a more aggressive approach to ending hunger and IFAD is ready to do its part by scaling up its operations and impact.”
The head of the United Nations Children’s Fund, Catherine Russell, said that the unprecedented scale of the crisis, “requires an unprecedented response. We will have to redouble our efforts to ensure that the most vulnerable children have access to nutritious, safe and affordable diets… With so many children’s lives and futures at stake, it’s time to advance our ambitions in child nutrition – and we have no time to waste. “
‘Action Today’
WFP director, David Beasley, said there is “one In real danger, these numbers will rise even higher in the coming months. “
The food, fuel and fertilizer crisis heightened by the war in Ukraine, could lead to famine, and lead to “global instability, famine and mass migration on an unprecedented scale.” yes. We must act today to stop this looming disaster.”
WHO Director-General, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said that every year 11 million people die from unhealthy diets.
“Rising food prices means this is only going to get worse. WHO supports countries’ efforts to improve food systems through taxing unhealthy foods and subsidizing healthy options, protecting children from harmful marketing, and ensuring clear nutrition labels. “
Government action
Evidence shows that if governments reuse resources that are being used to encourage the production, supply and consumption of nutritious food, they will contribute to making healthy diets less expensive. , more affordable and fair for everyone, SOFI reports.
It also calls The government must do more to reduce barriers to trade, which will help lower the price of nutritious foods, such as fruits, vegetables and beans.