The Custodian Newspaper Online
No Result
View All Result
Thursday, July 17, 2025
  • Home
  • News
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Showbiz
  • Health
  • Sport
  • World
  • eStore
The Custodian Newspaper Online
  • Home
  • News
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Showbiz
  • Health
  • Sport
  • World
  • eStore
No Result
View All Result
The Custodian Newspaper Online
No Result
View All Result
Home World

Global hunger could double due to coronavirus pandemic: UN

by John Kekeli
April 22, 2020
in World
0
152
SHARES
1.9k
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

COVID-19 is likely to leave 130 million people acutely hungry this year, adding to 135 million already in the category.

The number of people facing acute food insecurity could nearly double this year to 265 million due to the economic fallout of COVID-19, according to the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP).

The impact of lost tourism revenues, falling remittances and travel and other restrictions linked to the coronavirus pandemic is expected to leave about 130 million more people acutely hungry this year, in addition to 135 million already in that category, the WFP said in a new report on Tuesday.

“COVID-19 is potentially catastrophic for millions who are already hanging by a thread,” said Arif Husain, chief economist and director of research, assessment and monitoring at the WFP.

“We all need to come together to deal with this because if we don’t the cost will be too high – the global cost will be too high: many lost lives and many, many more lost livelihoods,” he told reporters at a virtual briefing in Geneva.

Husain said it was critical to act quickly to prevent people already living hand-to-mouth from selling their assets as it could take them years to become self-reliant again.

In some cases, such as when farmers sell their ploughs or oxen, it could have knock-on effects for food production for years to come, he added.

“These were the people we were concerned about – those who were OK before COVID and now they are not,” he said, adding he was “really worried” about people living in countries with little or no government safety nets.

“Acute food and livelihood crisis” is category three of five UN phases, meaning a “critical lack of food access and above usual malnutrition”.

Category 5 means mass starvation. UN officials did not give a geographical breakdown of the growing needs but said that Africa was likely to be hardest hit.

The WFP expects to need $10-$12bn to fund its assistance programmes this year compared to a record $8.3bn raised last year, Husain added. It plans to pre-position food stocks over the coming months in anticipation of growing needs.

New report

Tuesday’s fourth annual Global Report on Food Crises by the WFP and other partners found that food insecurity was already on the rise last year before the outbreak of the coronavirus crisis.

It found that 135 million people in 55 countries were in living in situations of acute food crises or outright humanitarian emergencies last year.

The increase by more than 20 million people takes it to a record level in the four years the report has been compiled.

Comparing the 50 countries in the reports this and last year, the number of people in food crisis rose by nearly 10 percent to 123 million people.

The increase was due to conflicts, economic shocks and weather-related events such as drought.

In Yemen and South Sudan, scarred by years of conflict, more than half of the population face acute food shortages.

Al Jazeera’s Hiba Morgan, reporting from the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, said in neighbouring South Sudan even prior to COVID-19 “there were over five million people who were facing starvation, many of them relying on food aid to survive – 1.7 million women and children acutely malnourished”.

“So with coronavirus in the picture, access to delivery of aid services is severely impaired due to travel restrictions,” she added.

“We’re likely to see the numbers of those who are suffering from malnutrition and food insecurity rise in the coming months.”

Post Views: 395
  • Latest
  • Trending
E&P Azumah Minority

E&P and Azumah Resources dispute poses economic, legal and political risks – Minority

July 16, 2025
Dumsor levy

Dumsor levy commences amidst public outcry over rising hardship

July 16, 2025
Bawku war NDC

Burning of Bawku Naba’s statue ‘declaration of war’ – NDC executives

July 16, 2025
NDC executives Bawku

NDC executives decry ‘state-sponsored assault’ in Bawku

July 16, 2025
Newspapers Tuesday 24th June 2025

Newspaper Frontpages – Tuesday, 24th June, 2025

June 24, 2025
Newspaper Frontpages (Tuesday, 17th June, 2025)

Newspaper Frontpages (Tuesday, 17th June, 2025)

June 17, 2025
Newspaper Frontpages (Monday, 16th June, 2025)

Newspaper Frontpages (Monday, 16th June, 2025)

June 16, 2025
Newspaper Frontpages – Monday, 30th June, 2025

Newspaper Frontpages – Monday, 30th June, 2025

June 30, 2025

The CustodianGh Online’s vision is to become the most preferred go-to news brand in Ghana.

Contact Us

thecustodiangh@gmail.com

Popular Categories

  • News
  • Business
  • Politics
  • Sport
  • Arts & Showbiz
  • Tech

Archives

© 2025 The CustodianGh Online - All rights reserved.

We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
Do not sell my personal information.
Cookie SettingsAccept
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Showbiz
  • Health
  • Sport
  • eStore

© 2025 The CustodianGh Online - All rights reserved.