Data presented by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations and four other global agencies show that the coronavirus has aggravated another pandemic: hunger.
The report indicates that in 2019 there were 690 million people worldwide who suffered from hunger. In total, that's 10 million more than in 2018 and 60 million more than five years ago. FAO warns the pandemic may lead to 130 million more people affected by chronic hunger worldwide as early as this year.
It is a figure that greatly worries the UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres.
ANTONIO GUTERRES
Secretary-General of the UN
“The report is clear: if the current trend continues, we will not achieve Sustainable Development Goal 2 -- zero hunger -- by 2030.”
Forecasts show the following hunger map: Asia would have the most malnourished people, with 381 million people, followed by 250 million in Africa and 48 million in Latin America.
Furthermore, FAO points out that since 2014, chronic hunger has grown in the world and that the pandemic “is intensifying the vulnerabilities and insufficiencies of the world's food systems.”
They assure that, although it is early to assess the total damages, there are areas of the world where the situation is drastic. For example, in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, 57 per cent of the population cannot even access a healthy diet.
Javier Romero
Translation by Kristina Millare
