2.4 Bln People Did Not Have Constant Access To Food, Hunger Stunts 148 Mln Children, Says UN Report in World — by Countercurrents Collective — 15/07/2023
Hunger
Approximately
2.4 billion individuals, largely women and residents of rural areas, did not
have consistent access to nutritious, safe, and sufficient food in 2022, said
UN’s latest report.
The U.N. delivered
grim news on global food security Wednesday: As many as 783 million faced
hunger, and 148 million children suffered from stunted growth.
More than
3.1 billion people – 42% of the global population – were unable to afford a
healthy diet in 2021, an increase of 134 million people compared to 2019, it said.
The UN
warned: The world is at risk of failing to meet its self-imposed obligation to
see hunger eradicated by 2030.
About 735
million people worldwide faced chronic hunger last year, an estimated 122
million more than in 2019, before the Covid-19 pandemic, the UN has said, in
its latest report — The State of Food Security and Nutrition 2023,
Urbanization, agrifood systems, transformation and healthy diets across the
rural urban continuum (July 2023) — on food security.
While
countries in
According
to the projections presented in the document, 600 million people globally will
be living undernourished by 2030, meaning that the world is “far off track” to
meet the United Nations’ goal of eradicating hunger.
The
pledge was made in 2015 when the UN adopted its Agenda for Sustainable
Development, which includes 17 goals to be achieved, among them “creating a
world free of hunger by 2023.”
Five U.N.
agencies said in the report that while global hunger numbers stalled between 2021
and 2022 many places are facing deepening food crises. They pointed to
“Recovery
from the global pandemic has been uneven, and the war in
FAO chief
economist Maximo Torero said the FAO food price index has been declining for
about 15 months, but “food inflation has continued.”
According
to the report, people’s access to healthy diets has deteriorated across the
world.
Key Findings
Global
Hunger: While global hunger numbers have stalled between 2021 and 2022, there
are many places in the world facing deepening food crises. Over 122 million
more people are facing hunger in the world since 2019 due to the pandemic and
repeated weather shocks and conflicts, including the war in
Nutritional
Access: Approximately 2.4 billion individuals, largely women and residents of
rural areas, did not have consistent access to nutritious, safe, and sufficient
food in 2022.
Child
Malnutrition: Child malnutrition is still alarmingly high. In 2021, 22.3% (148.1
million) children were stunted, 6.8% (45 million) were wasted, and 5.6% (37
million) were overweight.
Urbanization’s
Impact on Diet: As urbanization accelerates, there is a noticeable increase in
the consumption of processed and convenience foods, leading to a spike in
overweight and obesity rates across urban, peri-urban, and rural areas.
Rural
Dependence on Global Markets: Previously self-sustaining rural regions,
especially in
Future
Outlook: By 2050, it’s projected that 70% of the global population will reside
in cities. This significant demographic shift necessitates a reorientation of
food systems to cater to these new urban populations and eradicate hunger, food
insecurity, and malnutrition.
UN
Secretary-General Urges Adaption To Ballooning Urban Population
Following
is the text of UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ video message at the
launch of the State of
In a
world of plenty, no one should go hungry.
And no one should suffer the cruelty of malnutrition. But, this report
on the state of food security and nutrition paints a stark picture of our
reality.
Conflict,
climate, economic shocks and inequalities are driving food insecurity. Up to 780 million people do not have enough
to eat. More than 3 billion cannot
afford a healthy diet. And by 2030, it
is projected that more than 600 million people will still be living with hunger.
There are
rays of hope: some regions are on track
to achieve some 2030 nutrition targets. But, overall, we need an intense and
immediate global effort to rescue the Sustainable Development Goals.
We must
build resilience against the crises and shocks that drive food insecurity — from
conflict to climate. We must protect
gains in child nutrition, including from risks posed by rising obesity. And we must ensure food systems are fit for
the future. That means adapting to the
reality of a ballooning urban population — the focus of this year’s report.
I urge Governments to respond to our call for an SDG Stimulus, to scale up affordable long-term financing for all countries in need, by at least $500 billion a year. This will help countries ensure their people have access to affordable, nutritious food. And I urge all Governments to make the most of the UN Food Systems Summit and Stocktaking Moment in
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