UNITED NATIONS: Over 122 million more people are facing hunger in the world since 2019 due to the Covid-19 pandemic and repeated weather shocks and conflicts, including the Russia-Ukraine war, the State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (SOFI) said in a report published on Wednesday jointly by five UN specialized agencies.
The report said that between 691 and 783 million people suffered from hunger in 2022 , representing a surge of 122 million people compared to 2019.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres that an immediate and intense global effort is needed to rescue the Sustainable Development Goals. The resilience against the crises and shocks that bring food insecurity is also needed.
The report showed that hunger increased in Western Asia, the Caribbean, and Africa, where one in five persons faced hunger. Only Latin America and Asia observed progress in improving food security.
Diet crisis
In addition to rising hunger, the people’s capacity to access healthy diets also lowered across the world. Over 3.1 billion people globally were unable to afford a healthy diet in 2021, the report issued jointly by the Food and Agriculture Organization, International Fund for Agricultural Development, UN Children’s Fund, World Health Organization, and World Food Programme said.
According to the report, 148 million children under five years of age were stunted, 45 million were wasted, and 37 million were overweight, often an indicator of malnutrition.
