UNICEF: Russia Ukraine Conflict Raise Malnutrition Risk in MENA

On Thursday, UNICEF warned of rising malnutrition risk in the Middle East and Egypt amid continued fighting across the Ukrainian territory.

According to a statment released by UNICEF, Adele Khodr, UNICEF regional director for the Middle East and North Africa said that the number of malnourished children is likely to drastically increase.“With ongoing conflicts, political instability, the COVID-19 pandemic and the Ukraine crisis, the region is witnessing unprecedented hikes in food prices coupled with low purchasing power."

UNICEF noted that Egypt like many other North African countries has been impacted by the ongoing Russian-Ukraine war as it gets 80% of its wheat supply from Russia and Ukraine.

Moreover, UNICEF named Yemen, Sudan, Lebanon and Syria as the most impacted by the war in Ukraine. In those countries, over 9.1 million children are under the age of 5, and a total of almost 13.8 million children and women are in need of nutrition interventions.

"MENA and North Africa states have been hard hit by wars and poverty and the coronavirus has only made things worse," UNICEF added.

According to UNICEF reports, Russian forces carried out military missions in Ukraine on February 24, and since then, intense fighting in different parts of the country has disrupted food exports. Since the invasion began, Western countries have imposed crippling economic sanctions on Russian institutions.

Ukraine and Russia account for a third of global wheat and barley exports, which countries in the Middle East rely on to feed millions of people who subsist on subsidized bread and bargain noodles. They are also top exporters of other grains and the sunflower seed oil that is used for cooking.

UNICEF also warned that if the situation continues, it will severely impact children in the region, especially in Egypt, Lebanon, Libya, Sudan, Syria and Yemen, countries that were struggling with conflicts and severe economic crises even before the war in Europe began.

"Countries in the Middle East and North Africa import more than 90% of the food they consume."

UNICEF mentioned that only 36% of young children in the region are receiving the diets they need to grow and develop in a healthy way.

On average, nearly one in five children is stunted or too short for their age while the average number of children who are too thin for their height is 7%, the reports said.