The UN World Food Programme (WFP) has warned that the number of people on the verge of famine in 43 countries has climbed to 45 million — an increase of three million by 2021 – as acute hunger increases globally.
This figure has climbed from 42 million in 2021 to 27 million in 2019, according to a statement issued by the agency on Monday.
The rise is based on individuals in Afghanistan living in the official hunger categorization of IPC4 (or worse), as well as increases in Ethiopia, Haiti, Somalia, Angola, Kenya, and Burundi.
"Tens of millions of people are looking into the void." Conflict, climate change, and COVID-19 are all contributing to an increase in the number of severely hungry people.
"And the most recent numbers suggest that there are now more than 45 million people on the verge of hunger," WFP Executive Director David Beasley stated.
He was speaking after returning from a fact-finding tour to Afghanistan, where WFP is increasing its assistance to over 23 million people in need.
"Fuel costs are rising, food prices are rising, fertilizer is becoming more costly, and all of this feeds into fresh crises like the one currently unfolding in Afghanistan, as well as long-standing emergencies like Yemen and Syria," he continued.
WFP stated that they were doing all possible, in collaboration with humanitarian partners in hunger hotspots throughout the world, to expand aid for millions at danger of starvation.
However, current resources are inadequate to keep up with demand at a time when traditional financing sources are severely strained.
The World Food Programme forecasts that the worldwide cost of avoiding famine has risen to $7 billion, up from $6.6 billion earlier in 2021.
"As the cost of humanitarian aid climbs dramatically, we need additional money to reach people all over the world who have already exhausted their capacity to deal with acute hunger," the WFP head continued.
Families suffering extreme food poverty, according to the organization, are being forced to make "devastating decisions to cope with mounting hunger."
According to a vulnerability analysis of the 43 nations studied, families are being forced to eat less or miss meals completely.
Children are sometimes fed while their parents sacrifice meals and are forced to go hungry.
To live in Madagascar, where pockets of starvation are already a reality, some are compelled to consume locusts, wild foliage, or cacti.
