The number of people facing hunger crisis levels or worse increased by 40 million last year. The total is 22% above the record recorded the previous year, according to the Global Network Against Food Crises report released this Wednesday.

The alliance of NGOs, the United Nations, and the European Union warns that the war in Ukraine could worsen a situation that was already worsening at an alarming rate well before the conflict with Russia.

The new publication cited by UN News highlights that 193 million people faced "acute food security" in 53 countries or territories last year.

According to the report, the reality of half a million people requires more urgent action to avoid starvation and death in countries such as Ethiopia, Madagascar, South Sudan, and Yemen.

One of the findings is that the world is heading in the wrong direction, with a steady rise in hunger observed in 39 of the countries or territories assessed since 2018. The study highlights that war is the main driver of hunger, accompanied by climate change and economic shocks.

Antonio Guterres points out that the sixth edition of the global report is expected to shake a world already facing hunger on an unprecedented scale, record food prices, and millions of lives and livelihoods at stake.

The UN chief stressed that the "Ukrainian conflict is yet another weight in the three-dimensional crisis of food, energy and finance with devastating impacts on the world's most vulnerable people and countries and their economies."

For a change of course, Guterres highlights the opportunities offered by Agenda 2030, the UN Food Systems Summit, and the creation of the Food Systems Coordination Corridor in Rome.

Ukrainian conflict is yet another weight in the three-dimensional crisis of food, energy and finance with devastating impacts on the world's most vulnerable people and countries and their economies.

For the head of the United Nations these are the first steps to avoid major increases in global hunger and end hunger, achieve food security and promote sustainable agriculture.

In the Lusophone countries, Angola, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, and Mozambique are on the list with the highest numbers of those affected by acute food insecurity in the last two years.

In Angola, more than 1 million people went hungry, adding to the 35 million who have been in crisis or worse in a five-year period.

Among the extreme events that have damaged the food situation in Mozambique are tropical storms, torrential rains and floods. Cape Verde recorded its fifth consecutive year without significant agricultural production, as did several Sahel nations, according to the study.

Source: UN News