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'One in ten people worldwide battle hunger': World Food Program head alerts UN

According to the World Food Program's estimations, a staggering 47 million individuals worldwide currently find themselves teetering on the brink of famine due to acute food shortages.

One in ten people worldwide battle hunger: World Food Program head alerts UN AVV
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First Published Sep 15, 2023, 4:27 PM IST | Last Updated Sep 15, 2023, 4:28 PM IST

In a recent address to the UN Security Council, Cindy McCain, the head of the World Food Program, shed light on the critical issue of global food security. She drew attention to a concerning statistic from the program's latest report: approximately one in every person across the globe goes to bed hungry every night.

According to the World Food Program's estimations, a staggering 47 million individuals worldwide currently find themselves teetering on the brink of famine due to acute food shortages. This precarious situation means that all 47 million people are just one step away from experiencing a catastrophic event related to hunger. Alarmingly, among this vulnerable population, 45 million are children under the age of five who are grappling with acute malnourishment.

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The African continent is worse struck by food security as millions go to bed without enough food on the plate. Many children suffer from malnourishment in the Central and Northern African countries. On the other hand, aid to food security programs has also gone down.

Countries are looking inwards more than outwards in a move to cut their external spending. Even the Russia-Ukraine War and the COVID-19 pandemic have pushed food prices away from the reach of the poor. According to the World Food Program, 345 million people are facing food security issues this year. 

World Food Program head Cindy McCain said, “We are now living with a series of concurrent and long-term crises that will continue to fuel global humanitarian need. This is the humanitarian community’s new reality — our new normal — and we will be dealing with the fallout for years to come.”

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Even the climate change issue has been a major contributor to a lack of food security especially in the global south. Extreme weather patterns witnessed around the world are causing less agricultural output which in turn is creating a lack of food security and inflated prices for agricultural products.

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