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Several crises have brought global hunger to 345 million
The world is at risk of another year of record hunger as the global food crisis continues to push more people into acute food insecurity, the UN’s World Food Programme (WFP) has warned, calling for urgent action to address the underlying problems10 The reasons for today’s crisis ahead of World Food Day on 16th.
The global food crisis is a confluence of competing crises caused by climate shocks, conflict and economic stress, with the number of hungry people worldwide increasing from 282 million to 345 million in the first few months of 2022 alone. WFP scaled up its food aid target to reach a record 153 million people in 2022, reaching 111.2 million people by mid-year.
“We are facing an unprecedented global food crisis and all indications are that we are not yet seeing the worst. The number of hungry people has hit record highs over the past three years. Let me be clear: unless there is a massive and concerted effort to address the root causes of this crisis, or things will get worse. We cannot experience record hunger again,” said David Beasley, Executive Director of the World Food Programme.
Mariam bint Mohammed Almheiri, UAE Minister of Climate Change and Environment, said: “The crises and challenges facing the world today threaten the health and lives of millions without distinguishing between developed and developing countries. What we are witnessing is climate change, conflict The consequences of this and unrest are accelerating in many regions, directly affecting the availability of food and the resilience and continuity of supply chains, with the effects of food insecurity threatening everyone.”
“This situation requires us all to come together and accelerate efforts to enhance food security and availability through initiatives and programmes that consider both environmental and climate action requirements,” she added. She noted that at the local level, the UAE has adopted A national food security strategy aimed at enhancing food security in the country. Globally, in addition to helping many countries address hunger and food shortages, it has partnered with the U.S. to launch the Agriculture Innovation Mission for Climate (AIM for Climate), which aims to raise $8 billion for sustainable and climate-smart agri-food systems. Investment in dollars is based on modern technology.
WFP and humanitarian partners are fighting famine in five countries – Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Somalia, South Sudan and Yemen. It is often conflict that drives catastrophic starvation, disruption of communications, limited humanitarian access and displacement of communities among the most vulnerable. The conflict in Ukraine has also disrupted global trade, driving up transportation costs and delivery times, while keeping farmers from getting the agricultural inputs they need. The ripple effect on the upcoming harvest will have a worldwide effect.
The frequency and intensity of climate shocks are increasing, leaving those affected with less time to recover between disasters. The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region in particular is one of the regions most affected by the climate crisis, as it is highly vulnerable to climate shocks and stressors such as prolonged heatwaves, droughts, wildfires, floods, erratic rainfall and Landslide. The Middle East and North Africa region is also warming twice as fast as the global average, adding to the stress on resources in the food system cycle, affecting some 40 million people in the region.
Mageed Yahia, WFP representative in the Gulf Cooperation Council, said: “We are working closely with our strategic partners in the GCC, with whom we have successfully avoided famine in Yemen and continue to provide life-saving assistance. We rely on Their continued support, especially during this year’s unprecedented need, to alleviate the suffering of the millions of people who bear the brunt of conflict and climate shocks in different parts of the world.”
Anticipatory action must be at the heart of the humanitarian response to protect the most vulnerable from these shocks – and is a central part of the agenda for next month’s Conference of the Parties (COP27) in Egypt. At the same time, as the threat of a global recession increases, governments’ ability to respond is limited by their own economic distress (currency devaluation, inflation, debt distress). This will lead to an increasing number of people who cannot afford food and need humanitarian support to meet their basic needs.
WFP’s 2022 business plan is the most ambitious the agency has ever seen. It prioritizes action to prevent millions from dying of starvation, while working to stabilize — and where possible, build — resilient national food systems and supply chains.
As the cost of delivering aid and lead times increase, WFP continues to diversify its supplier base, including by facilitating local and regional procurement: by 2022, 47 percent of food purchased by WFP will come from the sources in which we operate Country – It’s a $1.2 billion. Faced with these rising costs, WFP has also expanded the use of cash transfers to deliver food assistance in the most efficient and cost-effective manner. Cash transfers now account for 35 percent of our emergency food aid.
WFP has secured US$655 million in contributions and service delivery agreements from international financial institutions to support national social protection systems. Similar efforts are expanding innovative climate finance partnerships. WFP continues to support the government through supply chain services, such as the procurement and transportation of food commodities, to replenish national food reserves in support of national safety net programmes.
While these efforts have assisted some extremely vulnerable people, it is taking place in a challenging global context in which extreme hunger continues to rise and requires concerted global action to bring about peace , economic stability and continued humanitarian support to ensure food security around the world. world.
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