Rome, May 30 (BNA): Two United Nations agencies warned today, Monday, of increasing food emergencies, including famine, in Sudan due to the outbreak of war, and in Haiti, Burkina Faso and Mali due to restricted movement of people and goods.
The four countries join Afghanistan, Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan and Yemen at the highest alert levels, with communities already facing or expected to face famine or risk slipping into “catastrophic conditions”.
The WFP-FAO report calls for urgent attention to saving lives and jobs. Besides the nine countries that rated the highest level of concern, the agencies said 22 countries have been identified as “hotspots” that risk severe food insecurity, the Associated Press reports.
“Business-as-usual courses are no longer an option in today’s risk landscape if we are to achieve global food security for all, and ensure that no one is left behind.” said Qu Dongyu, Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization.
He called for immediate action in the agricultural sector to “pull people back from the brink of hunger, help them rebuild their lives and provide a long-term solution to address the root causes of food insecurity.”
Cindy McCain, executive director of the World Food Programme, warned of “catastrophic” consequences unless there is clear action “to help people adapt to climate change and ultimately prevent famine.”
“Not only are more people in more places around the world going hungry, but the severity of hunger they face is worse than ever before,” McCain said.
MI