As millions worldwide continue to go hungry, leaders of five international humanitarian, banking and trade organizations on Wednesday appealed for further urgent action to prevent the global food and nutrition crisis from worsening.
The heads of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the World Bank Group (WBG), the World Food Programme (WFP) and the World Trade Organization (WTO) called for rescuing “hunger hotspots” and facilitating trade, among other measures.
They advised countries to balance short-term urgent interventions with longer-term resilience efforts.
Food inflation remains high in the wake of shocks from the COVID-19 pandemic, the climate emergency, Russia’s war in Ukraine, supply chain disruptions and rising interest rates, they said in a statement – their third since July.
Nearly 350 million people across 79 countries are acutely food insecure, and undernourishment is on the rise.
The situation is expected to worsen, with global food supplies projected to drop to a three-year low.
The need is especially dire in 24 countries identified as hunger hotspots, 16 of which are in Africa.
“We call on governments and donors to support country-level efforts to address the needs in hotspots, share information and strengthen crisis preparedness,” the leaders said.
They stressed that WFP and FAO require funds urgently to serve the most vulnerable immediately.
WFP and partners reached a record number of people last year. The agency delivered food and nutrition assistance to more than 140 million thanks to a record-breaking $14 billion in contributions.
FAO also invested $1 billion to support more than 40 million people in rural areas with agricultural interventions, while the World Bank provided a $30 billion food and security package covering a 15-month period ending this July.
Funding must also be mobilized so that the IMF’s Poverty Reduction and Growth Trust (PRGT) can provide concessional financing to poorer countries, while its new Food Shock Window has so far supported Ukraine, Malawi, Guinea and Haiti.
Donors and governments should also support the Global Alliance for Food Security, which promotes greater crisis preparedness.