UN: Global hunger rises to its highest in 15 years


07/13/2021

In 2020, the UN recorded the highest level of world hunger in 15 years. The reason for the rise since 2005 was the coronavirus pandemic, which has cut people's incomes and worsened access to food, writes Bloomberg with reference to the report of the organization, the first global assessment of food security in recent times.



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The main causes of the problems are climate change, political conflict and economic downturn. During the pandemic, the impact of these factors coincided and intensified. The price hike to a decade-long peak has made food even more unaffordable, especially for poorer countries reliant on imports.

The paper notes that in 2020 about 800 million people, a tenth of the world's population, will be undernourished. Asia was the worst off. In the past year, there were 320 million more hungry people in the region.

The study was carried out together with the Food and Agriculture Organization, World Food Programme, UNICEF and World Health Organization. They agree that the world will need a major transformation of food systems if we are to end hunger by 2030.

Earlier, Oxfam experts estimated that the number of people dying from hunger will increase sixfold in 2020. In terms of mortality, this cause has already surpassed COVID-19.

Back in March, the UN reported that 20 countries are in urgent need of food aid, most of them in Africa, all of them facing mass starvation.

source: bloomberg.com