Conflict, COVID, the climate crisis and rising costs have combined in 2022 to create jeopardy for up to 828 million hungry people across the world The world is facing a food crisis of unprecedented proportions, the largest in modern history. Millions are at risk of worsening hunger unless action is taken now to respond at scale to the drivers of this crisis: conflict, climate shocks and the threat of global recession. The interplay of these drivers is making life harder each day for the world’s most vulnerable and reversing recent development gains.
As many as 828 million people go to bed hungry every night. The number of those facing acute food insecurity has soared – from 135 million to 345 million – since 2019. A total of 50 million people in 45 countries are teetering on the edge of famine.
While needs are sky-high, resources have hit rock bottom. The World Food Programme (WFP) requires US$24.5 billion to reach 153 million people in 2022. However, with the global economy reeling from the COVID-19 pandemic, the gap between needs and funding is bigger than ever before.
We are at a critical crossroads. To avert the hunger catastrophe the world is facing, everyone must step up alongside government donors, whose generous donations constitute the bulk of WFP’s funding. Private sector companies can support our work through technical assistance and knowledge transfers, as well as financial contributions. High net-worth individuals and ordinary citizens alike can all play a part, and youth, influencers and celebrities can raise their voices against the injustice of global hunger. Unless the necessary resources are made available, lost lives and the reversal of hard-earned development gains will be the price to pay.
But Why Is The World Hungrier Than Ever?
This seismic hunger crisis has been caused by a deadly combination of four factors:
Conflict is still the biggest driver of hunger, with 60 percent of the world’s hungry living in areas afflicted by war and violence. Events in Ukraine are further proof of how conflict feeds hunger, forcing people out of their homes and wiping out their sources of income.
Climate shocks destroy lives, crops and livelihoods, and undermine people’s ability to feed themselves. The economic consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic are driving hunger to unprecedented levels. Costs are also at an all-time high: WFP’s monthly operating costs are US$73.6 million above their 2019 average – a staggering 44 percent rise. The extra now spent on operating costs would have previously fed 4 million people for one month.
