Hunger levels rise as Ukraine war and climate change threaten World

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Hunger levels rise as Ukraine war and climate change threaten World

World hunger levels increased last year after the COVID 19 epidemic slowed in 2020, with the Ukraine war and climate change threatening starvation and mass migration on an unprecedented scale this year, according to the UN. agencies.

According to the 2022 edition of the U.N. food security and nutrition report, up to 828 million people, or almost 10% of the world's population, were affected by hunger last year, 46 million more than in 2020 and 150 million more than in 2019, according to agencies including the Food and Agriculture Organization, World Food Programme and World Health Organisation.

Between 2015 and 2019, hunger levels in the world remained relatively unchanged.

"There is a real danger these numbers will go up in the months ahead," said David Beasley, executive director of the WFP, who added that price spikes in food, fuel and fertilisers stemming from the Russia-Ukraine war threaten to push countries into famine.

The result will be global destabilization, starvation and mass migration on an unprecedented scale. He said that we have to act today to avert this looming catastrophe.

Russia and Ukraine are the world's third and fourth largest grains exporters, while Russia is a key fuel and fertiliser exporter.

The war has slowed their exports, pushed world food prices to record levels and triggered protests in developing countries already contending with elevated food prices due to COVID 19 related supply chain disruptions.

The U.N. report on Wednesday warned of the possible consequences for food security and nutrition as conflict, climate extremes, economic shocks and inequalities keep intensifying.

In 2020, 22% of children under 5 were stunted, while 6.7% or 45 million were suffering from wasting, a deadly form of malnutrition that increases the risk of death by up to 12 times.

The report said the global food and agriculture sector received almost $630 billion a year in support that often distorted market prices, did not reach small-scale farmers, hurt the environment and did not promote nutritious food production.

This support includes subsidies that focus on calorie rich staple foods like cereals, sugar, meat and dairy at the cost of healthy, nutritious foods like fruits, vegetables, pulses and seeds.

The rising food prices mean this will only get worse, said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General.

WHO supports countries' efforts to improve food systems, by taxing unhealthy foods, subsidising healthy options, protecting children from harmful marketing and ensuring clear nutrition labels, he said.