People distribute free food to displaced residents affected by the rising waters of the river Yamuna after heavy monsoon rains in New Delhi, India. Reuters/Adnan Abidi
People distribute free food to displaced residents affected by the rising waters of the river Yamuna after heavy monsoon rains in New Delhi, India. Reuters/Adnan Abidi
The global pandemic, erratic weather changes and the conflict in Ukraine have pushed more than 122 million people into hunger.
The findings are part of the latest United Nations' annual State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World report. It sites 735 million people are currently facing hunger, compared to 613 million before the Covid-19 Pandemic.
"Hunger is rising while the resources we urgently need to protect the most vulnerable are running dangerously low," says Cindy McCain, Executive Director of the World Food Programme.
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If the dramatic rise in hunger continues, the UN warns it will not be able to reach its Sustainable Development Goal of eradicating hunger by 2030.
"As humanitarians, we are facing the greatest challenge we've ever seen. We need the global community to act swiftly, smartly, and compassionately to reverse course and turn the tide on hunger," she adds.
WATCH: Jamie Owen breaks down the numbers in the report
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Africa is the worst-affected region, with one in five people facing hunger on the continent - that's more than twice the global average.
The report also looks at increased urbanization as a 'megatrend' affecting how and what people eat. With almost seven in ten people projected to live in cities by 2050, governments and others working to tackle hunger, food insecurity and malnutrition must seek to understand these urbanization trends and account for them in their policymaking.
But there is good news as some regions have made positive strides in closing down on hunger, especially across Asia and Latin America.
"There are rays of hope," the UN Secretary-General António Guterres said in his video message during the launch of the report at the UN Headquarters in New York. "Some regions are on track to achieve some 2030 nutrition targets. But overall, we need an intense and immediate global effort to rescue the Sustainable Development Goals."
The United Nations publishes its report annually since 1999. It explores the world's progress towards abolishing hunger, achieving food security and improving nutrition while highlighting some of the challenges it faces in achieving this by its 2030 goal.
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