Hunger crisis at dangerous levels across 22 countries globally – top UN agencies warn

Rome – 22 countries around the world will face the dreaded crisis of food shortage and hunger in the next six months, the top UN agencies have warned. These countries include Haiti in the Caribbean region, along with African and Asian countries. These countries have been referred to as ‘high alert hotspots’ suffering the agony of food shortages and hunger, and some countries are already coping with drought and other problems.

Moreover, the United Nations Organisation’s ‘World Food Program’ and ‘Food and Agriculture Organisation’ presented a report called ‘Hunger Hotspots’ on Monday. This report has warned that 22 countries of the world are at risk of food shortage and starvation. have to face. If help does not arrive at the right time, the fear of casualties in large numbers has also been expressed in these countries.

Furthermore, the problem of food shortage and hunger is gradually intensifying in Sudan, Mali and Burkina Faso in Africa and Haiti in the Caribbean region, has been realised in the ‘Hunger Hotspots’ report. Aid may not reach Mali, Burkina Faso, and Haiti in the Caribbean region because of significant barriers to the movement of people and goods. Due to this, the crisis of starvation has intensified. At the same time, this report has also drawn attention to the impossibility of humanitarian aid to reach safely in Sudan due to the civil war that has just started.

A ‘high alert’ has already been issued regarding the shortage of food grains in Nigeria, South Sudan, Somalia, Yemen and Afghanistan in Asia. Pakistan, Central African Republic, Ethiopia, Kenya, DR Congo and Syria have been said by the ‘World Food Program’ and the ‘Food and Agriculture Organisation’ to include these countries in ‘High Concern Hotspots’. The situation in Myanmar is also getting worse every day, and fear is expressed of many people becoming victims of starvation in all the countries being called hotspots.

The Russia-Ukraine conflict has become a key issue for the grain shortage that has emerged in Africa and Asian countries. But, along with the conflict, the change in the weather, the Corona pandemic and the rise in inflation have also been warned in this report of being responsible for this situation. Russia and Ukraine are known as the ‘bread basket’ of the world. These nations are prominent in producing wheat, maise, barley, and sunflower, and they supply food grains to many countries in Asia, Africa and Europe. However, the Russia-Ukraine conflict that started last February developed major constraints in the grain supply. Due to this, the condition of African and Asian countries started deteriorating further.

Meanwhile, political instability, drought and civil war that have emerged in African countries over the past few months are worsening the situation, and millions of people may become victims of starvation due to hunger, senior UN officials and experts are repeatedly warning.

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