In November 2020, the United Nations reported that the COVID-19 pandemic had a tremendous impact on global food security and that hunger was rising again. It is estimated that 690 million people around the world are currently facing hunger and an additional 130 million people are at the brink of starvation by the end of the year. The United Nations has announced support in terms of emergency funding for Afghanistan, Burkina Faso, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Nigeria, South Sudan, Yemen and Ethiopia which are most at risk from a hunger epidemic.

References

UN News. Rising hunger, ‘an outrage in a world of plenty’: Guterres. November 16, 2020. https://news.un.org/en/story/2020/11/1077792

UN News. UN releases $100 million to guard against famine .November 17, 2020. https://news.un.org/en/story/2020/11/1077872

Contributor: IIYAMA Miyuki (Research Strategy Office)