Finance Association, April 24 (Editor Niu Zhanlin) On Wednesday (April 24) local time, several UN organizations jointly released the “2024 Global Food Crisis Report”. According to the report, about 281.6 million people in 59 countries and regions around the world will face serious food insecurity problems in 2023, and as negative factors such as geographical conflicts and extreme weather intensify, the situation is likely to worsen further.

Dominique Burgeon, director of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in Geneva, pointed out that when talking about serious food insecurity, it means that people face an immediate threat to survival due to lack of food. It usually involves large-scale food shortages, which can result in the death of large numbers of people.

The report mentioned that at the time of the COVID-19 outbreak in late 2019, approximately one in every six people in 55 countries faced worrying levels of food insecurity. Just a year later, that ratio had risen to one in every five people. This increase reflects the severe impact of the pandemic on global food security.

By 2023, the number of people facing severe food insecurity increased by about 24 million compared to 2022, for 5 consecutive years. This shows that achieving the sustainable development goal of eradicating hunger by 2030 is facing huge challenges.

Geographical conflict

The report highlights the alarming escalation of the food crisis in conflict hotspots in 2023, particularly in the Gaza Strip and Sudan, where malnutrition and deaths due to lack of food are very common.

Gian Carlo Cirri, director of the Geneva office of the World Food Programme, said that after Israel's bombing for nearly 7 months, people in the Gaza region were unable to meet even their most basic food needs. They had exhausted all coping strategies, such as eating animal feed, begging, and selling their own belongings to buy food. Many people are starving to death.

Cirri pointed out that the only way to end the famine in Gaza is to drastically increase the food supply in the short term, which means allowing the free movement of humanitarian workers and supplies and continuing large-scale food aid.

Other experts also warned that at any time between now and May 2024, famine could occur in northern Gaza at any time, with 70% of the population facing catastrophic hunger.

In another region, the Sudan, armed conflict has already caused the displacement of more than 8.78 million people. Of these, about 6.72 million are scattered within the Sudan, and more than 2.06 million have taken refuge in neighboring countries such as Chad and South Sudan.

After the conflict broke out in April last year, 20.3 million people (42% of the total population) had trouble finding enough food. The report indicates that with the planting season only a few weeks away, humanitarian aid must be allowed to enter the Sudan immediately to avoid further deterioration of the situation.

Extreme weather and economic issues

Furthermore, economic shocks have caused more than 75 million people in 21 countries to face severe food insecurity. This is due to the fact that these countries are highly dependent on food imports and agricultural inputs while continuing to face macroeconomic challenges, including currency depreciation, high commodity prices and high debt levels.

Despite falling international food prices, continuing inflation in food-crisis countries is eroding the purchasing power of poor households. Continued high public debt limits the government's policy space to deal with inflation.

Extreme weather has left 72 million people in 18 countries facing severe food insecurity. Many countries are experiencing a lengthy recovery process after droughts or floods, and the El Niño phenomenon and climate change made 2023 the hottest year on record.

The report predicts that conflict will continue to be a major driver of severe food insecurity in 2024. The El Niño phenomenon peaked in early 2024, and its full impact on the food crisis is likely to be felt throughout the year.