The WFP reveals that 45 million people in 43 countries of the world are on the brink of famine.
The United Nations World Food Program (WFP) warned on Monday that 45 million people in 43 countries of the world are on the brink of famine, 3 million more than at the beginning of the year, and called for international financial help to avoid than a world famine, the cost of which is $ 7 billion.
“We have conflict, climate change and covid-19 increasing the number of acutely hungry people, and the most recent data shows that there are now more than 45 million people on the brink of famine,” up from 42 million at the beginning of the year. and 27 million in 2019, WFP Executive Director David Beasley said in a statement.
Beasley said that “fuel costs have gone up, food prices have skyrocketed – they hit a 10-year high this month, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations Food Price Index. – Fertilizers are more expensive and all this fuels new crises like the one unfolding in Afghanistan, as well as long-term emergencies like in Yemen and Syria. “
WFP and its humanitarian partners are stepping up their efforts to help millions of hungry people, but needs exceed available resources, the statement said.
“The cost of avoiding famine globally is now $ 7 billion, up from $ 6.6 billion at the beginning of the year,” he added.
The Program regretted that families facing acute food insecurity are forced to make decisions, such as eating less or skipping meals altogether, prioritizing feeding children over adults, and even, in extreme cases, eating leaves. wild or cactus to survive, as in Madagascar.
At other times, they must marry the children off early or take them out of school, and in Afghanistan some “families have already had to sell their children in a desperate attempt to survive,” according to the WFP.
WFP stresses that in Afghanistan, nearly 24 million people have suffered from acute hunger, as the devastating impact of multiple droughts combines with an economic collapse that pushes families to the brink before the harsh winter, and that is why the organization is increasing its support to help 23 million people, but will need about $ 220 million a month in 2022.
In Ethiopia, where more than 4.3 million people will face acute hunger, WFP needs $ 245 million, and in southern Madagascar, where severe hunger affects more than 1.3 million people, it requires of $ 69 million over the next six months.
In South Sudan, 7.2 million people are severely food insecure, more than 1.4 million are in an emergency situation and 100,000 face catastrophic levels of hunger. WFP urgently needs $ 568 million.
In Syria, WFP needs $ 700 million until February 2022 to continue supporting some 5.8 million people, and in Yemen, where more than half of the population (16.2 million) faces hunger acute, the WFP asks for 802 million dollars. (I)
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