Global hunger rises due to crises
Source: Agencies |
October 15, 2009, Thursday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
A COMBINATION of the food crisis and the global economic downturn has pushed more than 1 billion people into hunger this year, United Nations agencies said yesterday, confirming a forecast released earlier this year.
The Food and Agriculture Organization and the World Food Program said 1.02 billion people - about 100 million people more than last year - are undernourished this year, the highest number in four decades.
"The rising number of hungry people is intolerable," said FAO Director-General Jacques Diouf as the new annual report on world hunger was released.
"We have the economic and technical means to make hunger disappear, what is missing is a stronger political will to eradicate hunger forever," he said.
The increase in the number of hungry people is not a result of poor harvests but is due to high food prices - particularly in developing countries - lower incomes and lost jobs.
Even before the twin crises of food and recession, the number of undernourished people had risen for a decade, reversing progress made in the 1980s and early 1990s.
The Group of Eight countries in July pledged US$20 billion over three years to help poor nations feed themselves, signaling a new focus on longer-term agricultural development.
That has sparked some concerns that emergency food aid might be cut back as a result.
The WFP last year raised a record US$5 billion to feed poor people as a spike in food prices in 2006 to 2008 sparked rioting and hoarding in some countries.
So far this year it has received US$2.9 billion, and has had to cut food rations or scale back operations.
The Food and Agriculture Organization and the World Food Program said 1.02 billion people - about 100 million people more than last year - are undernourished this year, the highest number in four decades.
"The rising number of hungry people is intolerable," said FAO Director-General Jacques Diouf as the new annual report on world hunger was released.
"We have the economic and technical means to make hunger disappear, what is missing is a stronger political will to eradicate hunger forever," he said.
The increase in the number of hungry people is not a result of poor harvests but is due to high food prices - particularly in developing countries - lower incomes and lost jobs.
Even before the twin crises of food and recession, the number of undernourished people had risen for a decade, reversing progress made in the 1980s and early 1990s.
The Group of Eight countries in July pledged US$20 billion over three years to help poor nations feed themselves, signaling a new focus on longer-term agricultural development.
That has sparked some concerns that emergency food aid might be cut back as a result.
The WFP last year raised a record US$5 billion to feed poor people as a spike in food prices in 2006 to 2008 sparked rioting and hoarding in some countries.
So far this year it has received US$2.9 billion, and has had to cut food rations or scale back operations.
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