In 2018, some 113 million people in 53 countries around the world experienced acute food insecurity and required emergency humanitarian aid, nutritional assistance and support to strengthen their livelihoods, according to the World Food Crisis Report published on Tuesday 2 April in Brussels by the Food Security Information Network, of which the EU and UN agencies are members.
This figure is down slightly (124 million in 2017), but the plight of hunger affects a larger number of countries.
By 2018, two thirds of these people were in only eight countries (Afghanistan, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Nigeria, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria and Yemen).
And 29 million people have experienced acute food insecurity due to natural disasters or climate change.
This report was presented at the 'Food and agriculture in times of crisis’ conference dedicated to the search for innovative approaches and solutions to prevent and resolve food crises in order to achieve the UN goal of zero hunger by 2030.
It highlights the need for strengthened cooperation between humanitarian, development and peace actors and a unified approach to food crises.
"Without food, there is no health, no education, no peace, no stability, no dignity [...] from 2014 to 2020, the EU will have provided nearly €9 billion for initiatives on food and nutrition security and sustainable agriculture in over 60 countries", in response to this “global challenge", said European Development Commissioner Neven Mimica.
“Over the last three years, the EU allocated the biggest humanitarian food and nutrition assistance budget ever, with nearly €2 billion overall”, said Humanitarian Aid Commissioner Christos Stylianides. In November 2018, the EU Council had confirmed the EU's determination to strengthen the fight against hunger and malnutrition in the world (see EUROPE 12144/14).
The NGO Oxfam considered that the global response was not sufficient. "This is a human-made crisis caused by conflict, climate change, and a broken global food system”, commented Oxfam France Director Cécile Duflot. See the world report: https://bit.ly/2Um6UnB. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)