UN report states a tenth of global population were undernourished last year

Around one tenth of the global population between 720 million people and 811 million were undernourished last year according to a UN report Global hunger levels have skyrocketed because of conflict climate change and the economic impact of the Covid19 pandemic and one in five children around the world is stunted said the report titled The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2021 released on MondayNew data that represents the first comprehensive global assessment of food insecurity carried out since the pandemic began indicates that the number of people affected by chronic hunger in 2020 rose by more than in the previous five years combined Xinhua news agency reportedReversing this situation will likely take years if not decades according to the World Food Programme WFP Food and Agriculture Organization the International Fund for Agricultural Development World Health Organization and UnicefThe pandemic continues to expose weaknesses in our food systems which threaten the lives and livelihoods of people around the world the heads of those agencies wrote in this years reportSome 418 million of the undernourished people last year were in Asia and 282 million were in Africa according to the reportGlobally 24 billion people did not have access to sufficiently nutritious food in 2020 an increase of nearly 320 million people in one yearThe report also highlights how climate change has left communities in developing countries most exposed to hunger despite the fact that they contribute little to global CO2 emissionsThese poorer nations are also the least prepared to withstand or respond to climate change said WFPs Gernot Laganda who added that weatherrelated shocks and stresses were driving hunger like never beforeThis suggests that it will take a tremendous effort for the world to honor its pledge to end hunger by 2030 the agencies said in a statement in a call for food production to be more inclusive efficient resilient and sustainableChildrens healthy development has suffered too with more than 149 million underfives affected by stunting and 370 million missing out on school meals in 2020 because of school closures during the coronavirus pandemicToday 150 million youngsters still do not have access to a school lunch said WFP which urged countries to restore these programs and put in place even better ones that give children and communities a futureThe report highlights a devastating reality the path to Zero Hunger is being stopped dead in its tracks by conflict climate and Covid19 said WFP Executive Director David BeasleyChildrens future potential is being destroyed by hunger he insistedThe world needs to act to save this lost generation before its too lateIn September the UN will convene a Food Systems Summit with the objective of launching bold new actions to build healthier more sustainable and equitable food systems around the worldIn the leadup to this pivotal event the UN is inviting stakeholders from all sectors across all food systems to get involvedThis report presents the first global assessment of food insecurity and malnutrition for 2020 and offers some indication of what hunger might look like by 2030 in a scenario further complicated by the enduring effects of the pandemicIt also includes new estimates of the cost and affordability of healthy diets which provide an important link between the food security and nutrition indicators and the analysis of their trendsAltogether the report highlights the need for a deeper reflection on how to better address the global food security and nutrition situationThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoeverAlso Read Beantobar Why brands and buyers are hungry to experiment with chocolate