UN agencies have warned that hunger is set to worsen in 18 “hotspots” around the world, with the highest alerts in 10 countries including Afghanistan.
The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Food Programme (WFP) in a report published on Monday warned that Afghanistan, Sudan, South Sudan, Yemen, Nigeria, Somalia, Haiti, Mali, and Burkina Faso have been elevated to the highest alert level of starvation risk.
The report also called for urgent humanitarian action to save lives and livelihoods and to prevent starvation and death in these countries.
“Business-as-usual pathways are no longer an option in today’s risk landscape if we want to achieve global food security for all, ensuring that no one is left behind,” said Dongyu Qu, the FAO Director-General.
He underlined the need for immediate interventions in the agricultural sector “to pull people from the brink of hunger, help them rebuild their lives, and provide long-term solutions to address the root causes of food insecurity.”
The report said that acute food insecurity is set to potentially increase in 18 hunger “hotspots”, comprising a total of 22 countries.
“Not only are more people in more places around the world going hungry, but the severity of the hunger they face is worse than ever,” said Cindy McCain, WFP Executive Director.
The report added that the Sudan conflict is already driving mass displacement and hunger.
“More than one million citizens and refugees are expected to flee the country, while an additional 2.5 million inside its borders are set to face acute hunger in the coming months,” the report said.
“All hotspots at the highest level have communities facing or projected to face starvation, or are at risk of sliding towards catastrophic conditions, given they have already emergency levels of food insecurity and are facing severe aggravating factors. These hotspots require the most urgent attention,” the UN agencies said.
