With 735 million people hungry, UN says world is 'off track' to meet its 2030 goal

(Reuters) – According to the United Nations, approximately 735 million people worldwide experienced chronic hunger in 2022. This alarming figure surpasses pre-COVID-19 levels and poses a threat to the global goal of ending hunger by 2030. The UN’s annual State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (SOFI) report highlights that although many countries have made economic recoveries from the pandemic, the ongoing war in Ukraine, and its impact on food and energy prices, have counteracted progress in reducing hunger rates.

Last year saw a temporary halt to the multi-year upward trend in hunger rates, but the increase in Ukraine’s conflict and its effects on the cost of food and energy have resulted in approximately 122 million more people experiencing hunger in 2022 compared to 2019. This setback means that the world is currently “far off track” from meeting the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal of eradicating hunger by 2030. The report predicts that by 2030, around 600 million people will still suffer from undernourishment.

In an interview with Reuters, Maximo Torero Cullen, the chief economist of the U.N.’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), expressed concern over the stabilization of hunger at a high level, describing it as “bad news.” The report identifies conflict-driven disruptions, climate extremes affecting agricultural production, and economic hardships aggravated by the pandemic as the main drivers behind global hunger in recent years.

While hunger rates have decreased in parts of South America and most regions in Asia, the issue is worsening in the Caribbean, Western Asia, and Africa. Kevin Mugenya, food systems director for Mercy Corps, an international aid group, stressed the importance of pairing humanitarian aid with strengthening local food supply chains to reverse this trend. He emphasized the need for localized solutions at the country level.

Collaboratively compiled by the U.N.’s International Fund for Agricultural Development, Children’s Fund, World Health Organization, World Food Programme, and FAO, the report urges nations to take action to address the problem of hunger and ensure the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goal targets.

(Reporting by Leah Douglas, Editing by Rosalba O’Brien)