Experts agree that the dimensions of the Covid-19 pandemic exceed today the number of injuries that exceeded the barrier of 7 million injuries around the world, and deaths that approach the barrier of half a million with increasing, to economic aspects as a result of the closure and the stop of trade and tourism traffic to a large extent, in addition to air traffic, not to mention On the psychological repercussions of the epidemic, which experts expect to see its impact in the future.

The world is standing, according to the United Nations, on the brink of a food crisis worse than any crisis it has seen for at least 50 years, which calls on governments to act quickly to avoid a catastrophe.

The poor are at the forefront of those affected by the recession after the "Covid-19" pandemic, which led some experts to compare the economic devastating effects of the pandemic to the impact of the devastating tsunami, but the tsunami of poverty and hunger.

Quick move

For his part, UN Secretary-General, António Guterres said that there is an urgent need to provide better social protection for the poor as the looming recession after the Corona virus pandemic may put basic nutrition beyond their reach.

"Unless immediate action is taken, it is increasingly clear that an imminent global food emergency is likely to have long-term effects on hundreds of millions of children and adults," he said.

About 50 million people are at risk of falling into extreme poverty this year due to the epidemic, but the long-term effects will be worse, because childhood malnutrition causes life-long suffering.

Read also: The poverty tsunami ... "Corona" turns the clock back 30 years

One in five children worldwide suffers from stunting at the age of five, and millions more will likely suffer the same fate if poverty rates rise.

Guterres notes that the effects of the recession will be felt in the long run, even in countries with abundant amounts of food, as a result of the risks of disruption of the food supply chain.

plan

Guterres devised a 3-point plan to overhaul the diets he described as the world's patient to prevent further damage. It can be summarized in the following points:

1- Focusing aid on the worst affected areas to prevent urgent disasters, and to give governments priority to food supply chains.

2- Promote societal protection so that young children, pregnant and lactating women and other at-risk groups receive adequate nutrition.

3- Investing in the future, by building a global epidemic recovery that prioritizes healthy, environmentally sustainable food systems.

The chief economist of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Maximo Torero, agrees that the world's food systems are threatened as never before recently, as the epidemic and closures hindered people's ability to harvest, buy and sell food, describing it as a different food crisis Very about those we have seen before.

According to a United Nations report on the impact of the "Covid-19" pandemic on food security and nutrition, supplies of basic food items such as grains are strong, but most people get their food from local markets that have been closed for long periods to address the spread of the virus.

The unemployment

The high unemployment rates associated with many people losing their jobs in light of the spread of the virus, and the loss of income associated with closings, has made food unattainable for many people with difficult economic conditions before the pandemic, and although global markets have remained stable, prices have started Basic food is on the rise in some countries.

Also, many seasonal workers were forced to stop work, which led to the farmers having to dispose of perishable products due to supply chain problems, in addition to the meat industry having to close in some countries.

An old problem

Even before the "Covid-19" pandemic, the world food system suffers from problems, as the UN report indicated that conflict, natural disasters, climate crisis, and the arrival of pests and plant and animal epidemics existed and were not resolved.

Therefore, the report cautioned against additional repercussions that will result in further stagnation, which will double the damage and push millions into extreme hunger.

Agnes Kalipata, Special Envoy of the Secretary-General of the United Nations for the Food Systems Summit of 2021, revealed that the “Covid-19 crisis” revealed the serious deficiencies in our food systems and threaten the lives and livelihoods of people all over the world, especially more than a billion people working in various industries in Diets. "

She referred to Latin America and the Caribbean, where a third of the population was already living in an unstable food insecurity, and she warned that the epidemic across the region had weakened economies and disrupted supply chains, which had led to higher food prices.

The United Nations has found that the epidemic risks reversing the progress made in recent decades in lifting people out of poverty and improving their access to food.

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