Brazil UN report: Around 733 million people affected by hunger
According to the United Nations, around 733 million people worldwide were affected by hunger in 2023. That is the equivalent of one in eleven people, and one in five in Africa, according to the UN World Food Security Report. The report warns that the global community will fall well short of the global sustainable development goal of ending hunger in all its forms by 2030. The report was presented at the G20 meeting of the Task Force of the Global Alliance to End Hunger and Poverty in Brazil's metropolis of Rio de Janeiro.
24.07.2024, 18:19
SDA
According to the report, the proportion of people in the world's population suffering from hunger has been stagnating 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 coronavirus crisis began, this corresponds to an increase of 152 million people, the report continues.
However, the regional trends would 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. According to the report, there were signs of progress in Latin America at 6.2 percent. If current trends continue, around 582 million people will be chronically undernourished by 2030, it warns. This forecast is similar to the situation in 2015, when the global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were adopted.
Billions of people without access to adequate food
The global community has been set back 15 years in the fight against hunger, according to 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 - will be in moderate to severe food insecurity in 2023. This means that they had to go without food for a whole day or longer at times. In 2022, more than 2.8 billion people could not afford a healthy diet.
The causes of food insecurity and malnutrition include, in particular, conflicts, climate fluctuations and extremes as well as economic downturns and recessions.
Multi-layered approach required
According to the World Food Report, a multi-faceted approach is required to achieve the goal of ending hunger worldwide by 2030. This would require transforming and strengthening agri-food systems, eliminating inequalities and ensuring affordable and healthy diets. "The substantial investment required for healthy, safe and sustainably produced food is far less than the cost to economies and societies if we do nothing," said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Brazil's President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has announced a new initiative, 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 thus strengthen contributions from all over the world to combat hunger and poverty. German Development Minister Svenja Schulze was due to take part in a preliminary event for the initiative on Wednesday.
