282 million people faced acute hunger in 2023, with the worst famine in Gaza: UN Report
The report highlights the severe decline in food security, especially in Gaza and Sudan, and represents a major increase of 24 million people from the previous year.
The United Nations has published a dark assessment of global food security in which it is revealed that in 2023, a startling 282 million people in 59 nations experienced acute hunger, with the Gaza Strip experiencing the worst famine conditions.
The report highlights the severe decline in food security, especially in Gaza and Sudan, and represents a major increase of 24 million people from the previous year. The war-torn Gaza Strip has been determined to be the region where the greatest number of people experiencing conditions similar to starvation are found.
In Gaza, 577,000 individuals, or more than 80% of those in danger of starving, were suffering from extremely high levels of hunger. The continuous conflict, which is now in its seventh month, has made matters worse, resulting in a total collapse of livelihoods and an urgent need for immediate food aid.
Máximo Torero, the senior economist for the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, emphasized the gravity of the issue by pointing out that 705,000 individuals in five nations are at Phase 5, the highest level of hunger. This amount quadruples that of the previous year and represents the greatest number since the global report’s launch in 2016.
According to the report, by July 2024, 79,000 people in South Sudan and 1.1 million people in Gaza are expected to be in Phase 5 and face starvation. It also cautions that food security problems would probably get worse all year long as a result of the full impact of the El Niño phenomenon, which peaked in early 2024.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called the report “a roll call of human failings,” highlighting how it is a serious injustice that children are starving to die in a world where there is plenty. He demanded that the disputes that are escalating the already severe global situation be addressed immediately.
Several relief initiatives are in place to address the severe food crisis that millions of people are facing.
World Food Program (WFP): The growing number of people suffering from severe food insecurity is highlighted in the World Food Program’s Global Report on the Food Crisis for 2023. The WFP is aggressively trying to help individuals in need of immediate food and livelihood support.
World Bank Organization: In response to the food crisis, the World Bank has proposed four areas of action: assisting producers and production, promoting trade in food and inputs, providing assistance to vulnerable households, and making investments in sustainable food security.
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