4 Out Of 10 Children In Pakistan Facing Problems Of Malnutrition

The World Food Programme (WFP) and Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) report urges immediate action to save lives as well as livelihoods.

4 Out Of 10 Children In Pakistan Facing Problems Of Malnutrition

A new early warning report released by two UN agencies with offices in Rome predicts that over the next six months, acute food insecurity will worsen in Pakistan and 21 other crisis-affected countries.

The World Food Programme (WFP) and Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) report urges immediate action to save lives as well as livelihoods. June 2023 through November 2023 are covered by it.

Known as “Hunger Hotspots — WFP-FAO early warnings on acute food insecurity,” the report identified 18 hotspots, with Afghanistan, Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan, and Yemen being placed at the highest alert level and Haiti, the Sahel (Burkina Faso and Mali), and Sudan being elevated to the highest concern levels.

In a statement, FAO Director-General QU Dongyu stated that “business as usual pathways are no longer an option in today’s risk landscape if we want to achieve global food security for all, ensuring that no one is left behind.”

“In order to rescue people from the verge of starvation, assist them in starting over, and find lasting solutions to the problems that are the root causes of food insecurity, we must immediately implement time-sensitive agricultural interventions. Investments in the agriculture sector’s disaster risk reduction hold the key to significant resilience dividends and must be scaled up,” he continued.

The report also highlighted the possibility that the Sudanese crisis could spread, endangering neighbouring nations. WFP Executive Director Cindy McCain said in a statement that “not only are more people in more places around the world going hungry, but the severity of the hunger they face is worse than ever.”

This report makes it crystal clear that we must take immediate action in order to save lives, aid people in adapting to a changing climate, and ultimately avert famine. McCain warned that the consequences if we don’t would be catastrophic. In addition, the report noted that “acute hunger” is still being caused by global economic shocks and stressors in almost all hotspots.

Low to middle-income nations will probably be pushed even deeper into a crisis as a result of the unusually high global food prices, it continued.

Hotspots of very high concern were listed as Pakistan, the Central African Republic, Ethiopia, Kenya, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Syria, and Myanmar, which was included in the most recent report for the first time.

The report warned that “all these hotspots have a significant population facing acute critical food insecurity, coupled with worsening drivers that are expected to further intensify life-threatening conditions in the coming months.”

Since the publication of the previous edition, Lebanon, El Salvador, and Nicaragua have all been added to the list of hotspots. El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua have also been re-included in the report.

The report offers specific country-specific recommendations on the top priorities for an immediate emergency response to save lives, avert famine, and protect livelihoods, as well as proactive action, to stop the progression of acute hunger and malnutrition.

Humanitarian intervention will be essential in preventing starvation and death, especially in the areas of highest alert. However, the report notes that access to humanitarian aid is hampered by insecurity, administrative roadblocks, and travel restrictions, creating a significant challenge for humanitarian responders around the world.

In order to prevent predictable hazards from developing into major humanitarian disasters, the report also emphasises the significance of improving anticipatory action in humanitarian and development assistance.