Over 700 million people do not know if or when they will get their next meal. The situation is expected to get worse, but funding for the UN’s aid program is decreasing.
According to Cindy McCain, head of the UN’s World Food Program (WFP), the organization is being forced to cut food rations for millions of people due to dwindling financial resources.
– At present, we are experiencing a number of ongoing crises, which will lead to continued major global humanitarian needs, she says in a statement.
According to WFP statistics, 783 million people in 79 countries – almost a tenth of the world’s population – are forced to go to bed hungry every night. Over 345 million people are also at risk of becoming food insecure during the year – which is an increase of almost 200 million since 2021, according to the UN Food Programme.
The reason for the rising numbers is “a lethal combination of conflicts, economic shocks, extreme climate and sky-high fertilizer prices,” according to the WFP.