MOSCOW, Sept 24 — UN cluster agencies said on Thursday that 41 million people worldwide were at an imminent risk of famine, a drastic rise from 27 million seen before the pandemic began, reported Sputnik.
“The global hunger crisis is clearly reaching a tipping point, and the window to avert famine and devastatingly high levels of acute hunger in multiple countries is closing fast,” they said.
The four agencies, dedicated to food security, nutrition, health, and sanitation, said that economic shocks exacerbated by the pandemic, armed conflicts and climate change were driving up hunger.
One in three people are going hungry globally. Some 584,000 people face famine-like conditions in Ethiopia, Madagascar, South Sudan and Yemen, with Nigeria and Burkina Faso also of extreme concern.
“Just one more shock could push them over the edge,” they warned.
The agencies said urgent action was needed to prevent widespread malnutrition, starvation and death. They called on donors to ensure “predictable, timely and geographically coherent” funding to implement joint plans in targetted areas.
Sources: BERNAMA