UNITED NATIONS, July 24 (Xinhua) — The United Nations has released a sobering report indicating that the world is significantly off course in its pursuit of eradicating hunger and food insecurity by 2030. According to the “State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2024” report, between 713 and 757 million individuals—approximately 9 percent of the global population—suffered from hunger in 2023. This figure marks a troubling increase of about 152 million people compared to 2019.
The report, issued by a coalition of five UN agencies including the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), UNICEF, the World Food Programme (WFP), the World Health Organization (WHO), and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), was unveiled during the G20 Global Alliance against Hunger and Poverty Task Force Ministerial Meeting in Brazil.
The data highlights that one in eleven people worldwide experienced hunger last year, with Africa being particularly affected, where one in five individuals faced food insecurity. The mid-range estimate of 733 million hungry people in 2023 represents a sharp increase from previous years.
In addition to the rise in hunger, the report underscores that 28.9 percent of the global population—2.33 billion people—experienced moderate or severe food insecurity in 2023. This figure has remained largely unchanged since the COVID-19 pandemic began in 2020.
While the situation in Africa continues to deteriorate and remains static in Asia, there is some progress in Latin America and the Caribbean. Despite these regional improvements, the overall global trend is concerning and suggests that the goal of eradicating hunger and achieving food security by 2030 remains elusive.
The report identifies several key factors contributing to the worsening crisis, including persistent food price inflation, ongoing conflicts, climate change, and economic downturns. These issues are exacerbated by underlying factors such as unaffordable healthy diets, unhealthy food environments, and entrenched inequalities.
To address these challenges and meet the UN Sustainable Development Goal 2 (SDG 2) of zero hunger, the report advocates for a comprehensive approach. This includes transforming and fortifying agrifood systems, addressing systemic inequalities, and ensuring that healthy diets are affordable and accessible to all. The report calls for increased and more efficient financing, with a clear and standardized framework for funding food security and nutrition initiatives.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres emphasized the critical role of financing in addressing the global hunger crisis during the report’s launch. He highlighted two key messages: firstly, that the fight against hunger, food insecurity, and malnutrition remains a global emergency, and secondly, that solutions are attainable with adequate financial support.
Guterres stressed the necessity of justice in supporting vulnerable nations by investing in resilient and sustainable food systems. He called for improved access to concessional finance, investments, budget support, and debt relief, as well as reforms to the global financial architecture to better support developing countries.
“Hunger has no place in the 21st century,” Guterres asserted, underscoring that the vision of zero hunger outlined in SDG 2 is both essential and achievable.
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