In this photo dated May 13, 2022, a mother looks on as two children lie on a bed in the recovery section for of malnourished patients in the Alliance for International Medical Action-managed nutrition unit of the hospital Tchad/ Chine in N'djamena, Chad. (ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / AFP)
LONDON/ROME/SANTIAGO – World hunger levels rose again last year after soaring in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with the conflict in Ukraine and climate change threatening starvation and mass migration on an "unprecedented scale" this year, according to UN agencies.
Up to 828 million people, or nearly 10 percent of the world's population, were affected by hunger last year, 46 million more than in 2020 and 150 million more than in 2019, agencies including the Food and Agriculture Organization, World Food Programme and World Health Organization said in the 2022 edition of the UN food security and nutrition report.
World hunger levels remained relatively unchanged between 2015 and 2019.
Up to 828 million people, or nearly 10 percent of the world's population, were affected by hunger last year, 46 million more than in 2020 and 150 million more than in 2019, agencies including the Food and Agriculture Organization, World Food Programme and World Health Organization said in the 2022 edition of the UN food security and nutrition report.
"There is a real danger these numbers will climb even higher in the months ahead," said WFP executive director David Beasley, adding price spikes in food, fuel and fertilizers stemming from the conflict in Ukraine threaten to push countries into famine.
"The result will be global destabilization, starvation, and mass migration on an unprecedented scale. We have to act today to avert this looming catastrophe," he added.
Russia and Ukraine are the world's third and fourth largest grains exporters, respectively, while Russia is also a key fuel and fertilizer exporter.
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The conflict has disrupted exports, pushed world food prices to record levels and triggered protests in developing countries already contending with elevated food prices due to COVID-19 related supply chain disruptions.
The UN report released on Wednesday warned of "potentially sobering" implications for food security and nutrition as conflict, climate extremes, economic shocks and inequalities keep intensifying.
It estimated that globally in 2020, 22 percent of children under 5 were stunted while 6.7 percent or 45 million suffered from wasting, a deadly form of malnutrition that increases the risk of death by up to 12 times.
Overall, some 149 million children under five had stunted growth and development due to a chronic lack of essential nutrients, while 39 million were overweight.
Combine harvesters harvest wheat on a field near Izmail, in the Odessa region on June 14, 2022, amid the Russia-Ukraine conflict. (OLEKSANDR GIMANOV / AFP)
The report also highlighted that "the gender gap in food insecurity continued to rise in 2021," with an estimated 31.9 percent of women suffering moderate or severe food insecurity compared to 27.6 percent of men.
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"Looking forward, projections are that nearly 670 million people – or 8 percent of the world population – will still be facing hunger in 2030, even if a global economic recovery is taken into consideration," the report reads.
The conflict in Ukraine has disrupted exports, pushed world food prices to record levels and triggered protests in developing countries already contending with elevated food prices due to COVID-19 related supply chain disruptions
Calling for an overhaul of agricultural policies, the report showed the global food and agriculture sector received almost $630 billion a year in support that often distorted market prices, did not reach small-scale farmers, hurt the environment and did not promote nutritious food production.
This support includes subsidies that mostly target calorie rich staple foods like cereals, sugar, meat and dairy at the expense of healthier, nutritious foods like fruits, vegetables, pulses and seeds.
"Every year, 11 million people die due to unhealthy diets. Rising food prices mean this will only get worse," said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
"WHO supports countries’ efforts to improve food systems through taxing unhealthy foods, subsidizing healthy options, protecting children from harmful marketing, and ensuring clear nutrition labels," he added.
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The UN agencies urged governments to "repurpose the resources they are using to incentivize the production, supply and consumption of nutritious foods" in order to help making healthy diets less costly and more affordable for all.
Finally, the report suggested that governments could do more to reduce trade barriers for nutritious foods, such as fruits and vegetables.
Wheat flour stockpiled in a warehouse are seen in Ibafo, Ogun State, southwest Nigeria on March 15, 2022. (PIUS UTOMI EKPEI / AFP)
The UN agencies urged governments to "repurpose the resources they are using to incentivize the production, supply and consumption of nutritious foods" in order to help making healthy diets less costly and more affordable for all
'Dire' rise in LatAm, Caribbean
Meanwhile, the Food and Agriculture Organization warned of a "dire" rise in hunger in Latin America and the Caribbean, after the number of people suffering from hunger in the region grew by 4 million between 2020 and 2021 amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
From its regional office for Latin America and the Caribbean in Santiago, Chile, the agency presented the report which shows that in 2021 as many as 56.5 million people in the region suffered hunger and 268 million people faced food insecurity.
The situation worsened notably after the number of people suffering hunger rose by 9 million between 2019 and 2020, according to the report, with the undernourished currently accounting for 8.6 percent of the regional population.
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"The situation is extremely dire. In just two years, 13 million people have fallen into hunger. And four out of 10 people live with food insecurity, while we have yet to brace for the impacts of the current food crisis," FAO regional representative Julio Berdegue said in a statement.