UN Report Reveals 295M Grapple with Acute Food Insecurity

2025-05-17 04:22:14

(MENAFN) A recent report issued by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and its collaborators reveals a concerning trend: global food insecurity and malnutrition continued their upward trajectory in 2024. The report indicates that a staggering 295 million individuals across 53 nations faced acute hunger, marking a 13.7 million increase compared to the previous year. This marks the sixth consecutive annual surge in severe food shortages within the world's most vulnerable areas.

The findings are detailed in the 2025 Global Report on Food Crises, a collaborative effort by the Global Network Against Food Crises (GNAFC), which includes the FAO, the UN World Food Programme (WFP), and numerous governmental and non-governmental bodies.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres characterized these figures as "another unflinching indictment of a world dangerously off course." In his preface to the report, he cautioned that "hunger and malnutrition are spreading faster than our ability to respond, yet globally, a third of all food produced is lost or wasted." He further highlighted that protracted crises are now being exacerbated by a significant decrease in funding for life-saving humanitarian efforts.

While the report notes that acute food insecurity typically arises from a confluence of factors – including poverty, economic instability, and severe weather events – it underscores that conflict remained the dominant factor in many of the most severely affected regions. Tragically, some populations endured conditions exceeding acute hunger. Famine was declared in regions of Sudan in 2024, and catastrophic levels of food insecurity were documented in the Gaza Strip, South Sudan, Haiti, and Mali. Regarding the Gaza Strip, the report noted that famine was narrowly avoided due to increased humanitarian assistance but warned that the risk of its return between May and September 2025 remains if the extensive military operation and blockade persist.

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