Conflict, Climate Change, Global Economic Slowdown Fueling Rise In Number Of Hungry People Worldwide, U.N. Report Shows

Bloomberg: World Hunger Worsens as War and Climate Shocks Hit Food Security
“The number of people suffering from hunger last year rose at the fastest pace since at least the beginning of this century as conflicts and climate-related issues curbed access to food. Those categorized as hungry increased by about 38 million to 815 million in 2016, accounting for 11 percent of the global population, according to a report from the United Nations…” (De Sousa, 9/15).

The Guardian: ‘Alarm bells we cannot ignore’: world hunger rising for first time this century
“…A foreword to the report, written jointly by the heads of the five U.N. agencies, said: ‘Over the past decade, conflicts have risen dramatically in number and become more complex and intractable in nature. This has set off alarm bells we cannot afford to ignore: we will not end hunger and all forms of malnutrition by 2030 unless we address all the factors that undermine food security and nutrition. Securing peaceful and inclusive societies is a necessary condition to that end’…” (McVeigh, 9/15).

Thomson Reuters Foundation: Factbox — Global hunger rises for first time in a decade — U.N. agencies
“…The number of hungry in 2016 was 815 million, up from 777 million in 2015. Numbers of hungry began to rise in 2014. The largest number live in Asia (520 million), followed by Africa (243 million), and Latin America and the Caribbean (42 million). Africa has the highest rates of hunger (20 percent), followed by Asia (11.7 percent) and Latin America and the Caribbean (6.6 percent)…” (Whiting, 9/15).

The KFF Daily Global Health Policy Report summarized news and information on global health policy from hundreds of sources, from May 2009 through December 2020. All summaries are archived and available via search.

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