The UN has presented a new world food report: one in eleven people is hungry. While the situation in Africa has worsened, there is progress in South America.
According to the United Nations, around 733 million people worldwide will be affected by hunger in 2023. That is the equivalent of one in eleven people, and in Africa even one in five, according to the UN World Food Report. The report warns that the global community will miss the global sustainable development goal of ending hunger in all its forms by 2030 by a wide margin. The report was presented at the G20 meeting of the Task Force of the Global Alliance Against Hunger and Poverty in Brazil’s metropolis of Rio de Janeiro.
The proportion of people in the world population suffering from hunger has stagnated at a high level for three years. Last year, between 713 and 757 million people were affected by hunger – an average of 733 million people. Compared to 2019, the year before the start of the corona crisis, this corresponds to an increase of 152 million people, it continues.
However, regional trends differ: in Africa, the proportion of the population suffering from hunger continued to rise to 20.4 percent, while in Asia it remained stable at 8.1 percent. In Latin America, the report shows progress at 6.2 percent. If current trends continue, around 582 million people will be chronically undernourished by 2030, it warns. This forecast is the same as in 2015, when the global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were adopted.
Billions of people without access to adequate food
The world community has been set back 15 years in the fight against hunger, said the children’s charity Unicef, citing the report. The current global prevalence of hunger is comparable to that of 2008/2009.
According to the report, around 2.33 billion people worldwide – almost 30 percent of the world’s population – were moderately to severely food insecure in 2023. This means that they had to go without food for an entire day or more at times. In 2022, more than 2.8 billion people could not afford a healthy diet.
The main causes of food insecurity and malnutrition include conflict, climate variability and extremes, as well as economic downturns and recessions.
Multi-layered approach required
According to the World Food Report, achieving the goal of ending hunger worldwide by 2030 requires a multi-faceted approach. This will require transforming and strengthening agri-food systems, eliminating inequalities and ensuring affordable and healthy diets. “The significant investments required to produce healthy, safe and sustainably produced food are far less than the costs to economies and societies of doing nothing,” said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has announced a new initiative called the Global Alliance against Hunger and Poverty, which is to be officially launched at the G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro in November. The aim is to collect, exchange and strengthen contributions from all over the world to combat hunger and poverty. German Development Minister Svenja Schulze was due to attend a preliminary event for the initiative on Wednesday.
World Food Report
Source: Stern
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
