United Nations: The specter of hunger threatens the world in an unprecedented crisis
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Friday there was a "real risk" of famine this year and called on a ministerial-level meeting on food security to take practical steps to stabilize food markets and reduce volatility in commodity prices.
"We are facing an unprecedented global hunger crisis... The war in Ukraine has exacerbated the problems that had accumulated over the years such as climate disruptions, the COVID-19 pandemic and the significant disruption (the pace) of the recovery," Guterres said by video link to the meeting in Berlin.
According to the Global Food Security Index, a measure used by UN agencies, regional bodies and aid groups to determine the level of food insecurity, more than 460,000 people in Somalia, Yemen and South Sudan are at risk of starvation.
This is the stage before declaring a famine in an area.
According to the Global Food Security Index, millions of people in 34 other countries are on the brink of famine.
"There is a real danger related to the announcement of several famines in 2022," Guterres said. "Maybe 2023 will be even worse."
He stated that mass starvation in the twenty-first century is unacceptable.
He added that it may be difficult to find an effective solution to this crisis unless Ukraine and Russia, which contribute about 29 percent of global wheat exports, find a way to resume trade properly.
Shipments of goods from Ukrainian ports were halted due to Russia's invasion of its neighbour.
Moscow wants specific Western sanctions to be lifted in order to resume exports of grain and fertilizer.
The United Nations and Turkey are trying to broker an agreement.
Guterres gave no further details of the talks, but said "public statements may undermine success."
Ministers at the Berlin meeting also called for tackling a financial crisis facing developing countries.
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