Just weeks after a global pandemic was declared in 2020, we knew that the combination of pandemic, conflict and climate change would have devastating effects on the world’s most vulnerable people. Even though the World Health Organization (WHO) has officially withdrawn the COVID-19 state of emergency, the actual impact is worse than feared.
As for hunger, the World Report on Food Crises confirms that acute food insecurity has increased for the fourth consecutive year. The report concludes that acute food insecurity affected approximately 258 million people in more than 58 countries in 2022, up from 193 million people in more than 53 countries in 2021. In fact, this number is the highest in the seven-year history of the report. Most worryingly, more than 35 million children under the age of five suffer from acute malnutrition.
The international community must face up to this suffering, including the leaders of some of the world’s richest countries (Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, United Kingdom) who have just met in Japan for the annual G7 summit .
About 258 million people in more than 58 countries were affected by acute food insecurity in 2022, compared to 193 million people in more than 53 countries in 2021
This is a crucial time for the world’s most vulnerable children and families. Since 2015, the year in which all governments of the world pledged to end hunger by 2030 as part of their commitment to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), famine around the world has gradually increased. However, conflict, climate change and the economic shock triggered by the Covid-19 pandemic have led to sharp increases in hunger and malnutrition. The war in Ukraine has exacerbated these trends, disrupting critical supply chains for global, regional and national food production and retail. As always, boys and girls are most at risk in a crisis of this nature.
NGO World Vision is calling on G-7 leaders to first step up efforts to ensure food systems are resilient, sustainable, equitable and support healthier diets: through increased investment in supply chain and market operations , ensuring a reliable supply of nutritious food and supporting small farmers to build resilience to climate change. In addition, the G-7 must address the need for children through sustained and expanded funding to respond to urgent food security and nutrition needs. increased investment in child nutrition and proven interventions to identify, refer and treat wasting; Increased investment in prevention and support for interventions that address the vital needs of children in crisis, including nutrition, health, clean water and shelter.
The world’s richest countries need to focus on improving nutrition, supporting small farmers and ensuring food security for those affected by climate-related disasters and conflict
Finally, international leaders must help reduce all forms of child malnutrition: improve year-round access to nutritious food through increased investment in food systems transformation and national social protection systems; Stepping up efforts to reduce micronutrient deficiencies in children and women, and using the Nutrition for Growth Summit in France in 2024 to demonstrate the G-7 nutrition commitments made at the Tokyo 2021 Summit.
Global food security has long been a priority for the G-7. In 2015, leaders pledged to lift half a billion people out of hunger and malnutrition by 2030 through a more comprehensive approach to food security and nutrition. This approach includes strengthening food systems, increasing support for small farmers, improving nutrition and stepping up efforts to improve food security and nutrition for those affected by climate-related disasters and conflict. The G-7 stepped up efforts to work together on humanitarian, development and peace issues, reaffirming these commitments in 2017, 2021 and 2022.
The decisions made at the Japan Summit can and will have a tremendous impact on the world’s most vulnerable children and communities if followed by actual action. But as their own 2022 progress report fails to meet their commitments and the hunger and food crisis deepens, we call on the G-7 leaders to now back their statements with concrete action to resolve this crisis to stop .
Chris Derksen-Hiebert He is Director of Public Policy at the NGO World Vision. He leads the engagement of international NGOs in the climate meetings of the G-7, G-20 and the UN Conference of the Parties (COP).
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