Over 250M people face food crisis - UN
The UN annual report states this, Ukrinform cites The Guardian.
Among the key factors in this phenomenon, the UN cites Russia's war against Ukraine, which has raised food prices around the world, and various conflicts that have also taken a terrible toll on people's ability to find or afford food. The lingering impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and climate change have also exacerbated the crisis.
According to data released on Wednesday by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, last year was the fourth consecutive year that the number of people facing food insecurity increased significantly.
In 2022, at least 258 million people in 58 countries faced acute food insecurity, which directly threatens people's livelihoods and lives.
It is noted that more than 35 million children under the age of five in 58 countries suffered from wasting. More than nine million of them were in severe condition.
Among the countries facing the most serious crises are the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Afghanistan, Yemen, Syria, Sudan, Nigeria, and Pakistan.
In 12 countries, the food crisis was caused by extreme weather and climate conditions. This crisis affected 57 million people. Pakistan experienced severe flooding in 2022, affecting about 33 million people.
“Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, a major producer of wheat, maize and sunflower oil, led to a steep rise in food prices last year, which reached record levels. Although the index of average prices has now returned nearly to the levels seen before the war, the impacts are still being felt and there is still serious disruption to exports,” the report says.
As reported, on February 24, 2022, Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. As a result of Russian blockade in the Black Sea, more than 22 million tonnes of grain were blocked in Ukrainian ports, much of which was intended for the UN World Food Program.
On July 22, 2022, an agreement was signed in Istanbul following a quadripartite meeting between Ukraine, Türkiye, the UN, and Russia, which allows for the export of grain and other food from Ukrainian ports.
However, the process of sending ships with Ukrainian grain is constantly blocked by Russia. There is a queue of ships in the Bosphorus Strait due to Russia's blocking of the passage of bulk carriers with Ukrainian grain. The UN, Türkiye, and Ukraine are making every effort to fully resume the grain deal.
Türkiye's Minister of National Defense Hulusi Akar said that a meeting on the continuation of the Black Sea Grain Initiative at the level of deputy defense ministers of Ukraine, Türkiye, and Russia would be held in Istanbul on Friday, May 5.
