BEIJING, May 6 (Xinhua) -- The Global Network for Response to Food Crisis (GNAFC) released its latest annual report on the 4th local time in Rome, showing that the level of sudden food insecurity hit a new high.

The number of people facing acute food insecurity and in need of emergency food assistance and livelihood support continues to grow at an alarming rate.

Therefore, it is more urgent than ever to address food crises at their root causes, not just to respond to them after they occur.

　　The Global Network for Response to Food Crises is an international coalition of the United Nations, the European Union, government agencies and non-government agencies working together to address food crises.

The report highlights that in some countries, the scale and severity of food crises exceed local resources and response capabilities.

In this context, the mobilization of the international community is necessary.

　　According to the report, in 2021, about 193 million people in 53 countries will face acute food insecurity of “crisis” level or worse (IC/Harmonization Framework Stages 3-5) That's an increase of nearly 40 million people from the record number.

Of these, 570,000 people in Ethiopia, southern Madagascar, South Sudan and Yemen are classified as “catastrophic” for acute food insecurity, which is the most severe stage of acute food insecurity (IC/CF Stage 5), urgent action is required to avoid massive livelihood collapse, severe starvation and death.

　　Across the 39 countries listed in each edition of the report, the number of people facing a situation of “crisis” level or more (IC/HCF stage 3 or above) has almost doubled between 2016 and 2021 Fan, since 2018, the number of people has only increased every year.

　　The report notes that these worrying trends are the result of a combination of factors, from conflict to environmental and climate crises, from economic crises to health crises, with poverty and inequality as underlying causes.

Of these, conflict remains the main cause of food insecurity.

While this analysis was conducted before the conflict in Ukraine, the report shows that the conflict has exposed the interconnected nature and fragility of the global food system, with dire consequences for global food and nutrition security.

Countries that are coping with sudden hunger are particularly vulnerable to the risks posed by the conflict in Eastern Europe because of their high dependence on food imports and their vulnerability to global food price shocks, the report noted.

　　Sudden hunger is soaring to unprecedented levels, and the global situation is deteriorating.

Conflict, the climate crisis, the Covid-19 pandemic and rising food and fuel costs have put the world in crisis.

Now, the Ukrainian conflict is catastrophe upon catastrophe.

Millions of people in dozens of countries are on the brink of starvation.

"We urgently need emergency funds to bring them back from the brink and turn this global crisis around before it's too late," said David Beasley, executive director of the World Food Programme.

　　The report's findings point to the need for smallholder agriculture as a priority humanitarian response, as well as solutions to reverse long-term negative trends.

In addition, promoting structural changes in the way external funding is allocated and gradually reducing humanitarian aid through long-term development investments can address the root causes of hunger.

At the same time, we need to collectively promote the delivery of humanitarian aid in a more effective and sustainable manner.

　　At the same time, strengthening concerted action to ensure that humanitarian, development and peacekeeping activities are carried out in an integrated and coordinated manner to avoid further exacerbating conflicts and resulting unintended consequences will also contribute to building and improving resilience.

　　The Global Food Crisis Report is the flagship publication of the Global Network for Response to Food Crises, and its production is facilitated by the Food Security Information Network (FSIN).

The report is the result of a consensus-based multi-party analysis involving 17 international humanitarian and development organizations.

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