People affected by hunger doubled in 3 years: UN chief

Raising concern on the growing number of people who have been affected by hunger amid global concerns, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres on Sunday flagged a staggering figure. "The number of people affected by hunger has more than doubled in the past 3 years, (sic)," he wrote in a tweet.

The surge in this figure can be, arguably, attributed to coronavirus with the pandemic leading to strict curbs across nations since the first outbreak in China's Wuhan city in 2019. The head of the 193-member organisation stressed to move from "despair to hope and action" and "make nutritious diets available and affordable for all" in his post to mark the World Food Day.

What is World Food Day?

World Food Day is observed to mark the founding of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in 1945. On this day, worldwide awareness events are held to push for action for those who suffer from hunger and for the need to ensure healthy diets for all, leaving no one behind.

What is the theme for World Food Day 2022?

The theme for World Food day 2022 is "Leave no one behind." According to the FAO, although the world has made progress towards building a better world, "too many people have been left behind." The organisation also highlighted that enough food is produced today to feed everyone on the planet but the problem is access and availability of nutritious food.

Countries facing a food crisis

The Global Report on Food Crises2022 released in May by the Global Network against Food Crises underscored that about 180 million people across 40 countries will face inescapable food insecurity. Ethiopia, Nigeria, South Sudan, and Yemen have been marked as "hunger hotspots", with Egypt facing challenges due to the ongoing war between Ukraine and Russia as both countries provided for 85 percent of Egypt's imports in 2020-2021.

Tunisia and Algeria are also struggling with food security issues to meet the demands of their population. Since the regime change in Afghanistan with the Taliban governing the country now, the food crisis has worsened as "92 percent of the population faces insufficient food consumption, while 57 percent of households resort to crisis-level coping strategies to get by" as per World Food Programme's (WFP) food security update.