645M People Faced Hunger Worldwide Last Year: Guterres

(MENAFN- Pajhwok Afghan News) "> KABUL (Pajhwok): Around 645 million people worldwide faced hunger last year, while nearly 2.7 billion could not afford a healthy diet, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has said.

Guterres made the remarks in a message issued today, 16 October, to mark World Food Day, describing food as a fundamental human right.

He said successive crises had disrupted food production and supply chains, driving up food and chemical fertiliser prices.

The situation had made it more difficult for millions of people to access nutritious food, he added.

The UN secretary-general said the knowledge, technology and capacity needed to feed the world's population were available, and that the time had come to put them to use.

Guterres said this year's World Food Day theme was“Innovate today, nourish tomorrow”.

He stressed the need to use data, innovation and technology, including artificial intelligence, to ensure everyone had access to nutritious food. He said scientists, researchers, innovators, farmers, Indigenous Peoples and young people should work together to find solutions.

He also called for the mobilisation of financial resources to make nutritious food more accessible and affordable, particularly in developing countries, support ecosystems and people involved in food production, and establish more productive and resilient food systems.

Guterres stressed the need to ensure that everyone around the world had access to safe, nutritious and affordable food.

World Food Day is observed annually on 16 October.

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