Hunger Afflicts 193 Million People in   World

A  new report issued by the United Nations (UN) said that conflicts, severe weather, and economic shocks increased the number of people facing food crises by 20% to 193 million last year and that expectations will worsen unless urgent action is taken "on a large scale".

The United Nations World Food Program and the Global Network against Food Crises, set up by the United Nations and the European Union, said in an annual report that food insecurity has nearly doubled in the past six years since 2016 when it began to be monitored.

The report did not address the effects of the Ukrainian crisis, as it occurred this year.

Estimates for 2022, which at this point include only 42 of the 53 countries involved, indicate that 179 to 181.1 million people may be acutely food insecure.

The data showed that food insecurity was an acute threat to 193 million people in 53 countries in 2021, according to the report, meaning that they needed urgent help to survive, an increase of about 40 million people compared to the number recorded in 2020.