New York: Due to the unstable global conditions including the Corona epidemic, there is a threat of famine all over the world, the number of people suffering from severe malnutrition has doubled in just 3 years.
In this regard, the World Food Program (WFP) said that the number of people affected by severe malnutrition worldwide has increased to 345 million due to epidemics including Covid-19, global conflicts and climate change, which is similar to the corona virus.
There were 135 million before the global pandemic, WWF regional director Corinne Fleischer revealed, adding that the number will rise further due to climate change and global conflict.
He said the impact of environmental challenges is another destabilizing factor that can exacerbate food shortages that can lead to conflict and mass displacement.
He expressed concern about the compounding effects of Covid, climate change and the war in Ukraine, pointing to a 10-fold increase in displacement due to climate change and conflict worldwide.
He pointed out that the Ukraine crisis has had a large-scale impact in the Middle East and North Africa, Yemen imports 90% of its food needs, there is also a fear of food shortage in Iraq and Iraq needs about 5.2 million tons of wheat.
While its domestic production is 2.3 million tonnes of wheat, forcing it to import the remaining wheat at high prices, despite state support, severe droughts and frequent water crises have threatened the livelihoods of smallholders across Iraq. are endangering.
Fleischer said WFP helps 13 million of the 16 million people affected by food crisis, but only half of them meet their daily needs due to lack of funds, the WFP official said. Costs have risen by an average of 45 percent as Western donors face major economic challenges due to Covid and the war in Ukraine.
