Un : Hunger is on the rise

According to the United Nations report, as hunger rises and malnutrition persists, Achieving the goal “Zero hunger” from here to 2030 is compromised. Un : Hunger is on the rise !

Ensuring a healthy diet for the billions of people who cannot afford it, we could save trillions of dollars.

Un : Hunger is on the rise, almost everywhere in the world

More people are suffering from hunger, according to an annual United Nations study. The last five years, tens of millions of people have joined the ranks of those who are chronically undernourished. And all over the world, countries continue to fight multiple forms of malnutrition.

Published this 13 July 2020, the latest edition of the state of food security and nutrition around the world estimates that near 690 millions of people have suffered from hunger 2019. That is, an increase in 10 million compared to 2018, and nearly 60 million in five years.

In Africa and Asia

Due to high costs and low financial resources, billions of people cannot adopt a healthy or nutritious diet.

It is in Asia that people who suffer from hunger are the most numerous. On the other hand, Africa is the fastest growing number in Africa.

According to the report, the covid-19 pandemic could tip over more 130 millions more people in chronic hunger by the end of 2020. And outbreaks of acute hunger in the context of the pandemic could further increase this number on an ad hoc basis.

In this report, officials warn that " it has already been five years since the world committed itself to eliminating hunger. But food insecurity and all forms of malnutrition, we are still not on track to achieve this goal by the end of 2030 ».

Asia remains the region with the highest number of undernourished people (381 million). Africa comes in second place (250 million), followed by Latin America and the Caribbean (48 million).

The global prevalence of undernourishment, or the overall percentage of people who suffer from hunger, evolves little- around 8,90%. But the absolute numbers have been increasing since 2014. Therefore, it means that over the past five years, hunger has increased at the same rate as the world's population.

Percentage, Africa is the most affected region. And the situation continues to get worse, Since 19,10% population is undernourished. This rate is more than twice as high as in Asia (8,30%) Latin America and the Caribbean 7,40%).

If the current trend continues, en 2030, Africa will be home to more than half of the world's chronically hungry people.

The death toll from the coronavirus pandemic

As the fight against hunger stagnates, covid-19 pandemic exacerbates vulnerabilities and inadequacies in global food systems. That is, all the activities and processes that affect production, food distribution and consumption.

Although it is too early to assess the full impact of containment measures, The report estimates that at least 83 millions more people could go hungry 2020. This figure could even reach 132 million, due to the economic recession triggered by the coronavirus pandemic. This setback casts further doubt on the achievement of the second sustainable development goal “Zero hunger”.

Poor diet, food insecurity and malnutrition

Overcoming hunger and malnutrition in all its forms (including undernutrition, micronutrient deficiencies, overweight and obesity) is not limited to providing enough food to survive. What people and, Especially, children eat must also be nutritious.

Yet, there are no less than 3 billions of people who can't afford a healthy diet. In sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, this is the case 57 percent of the population, but no region is spared.

A call to action

This report calls for transforming food systems to reduce the cost of nutritious foods and make healthy food more affordable.

The study calls on governments to :

• incorporate nutrition into their agricultural strategies;
• strive to reduce the factors that increase costs in production, Storage, transport, distribution and marketing of food, including reducing inefficiencies, food waste and waste;
• help small local producers grow and sell more nutritious food and ensure market access;
• focus on children's nutrition;
• promoting behavioural change through education and communication;
• and integrate nutrition into their social protection systems and investment strategies.

The heads of secretariat of the five UN agencies responsible for the report on the state of food security and nutrition in the world say they are committed to supporting this vital change, ensuring that it is "sustainable, for people and the planet".

Source : WHO – Press release from the 13 July 2020 in Rome

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