More than 19 million people, including 10 million children, are at risk of famine in 12 nations, according to a new report from World Vision.
The Christian aid and development organisation said a “deadly mix” of the coronavirus pandemic, ongoing conflicts and natural disasters had combined to put millions at risk in countries including the Democratic Republic of Congo, South Sudan, Sudan, Nigeria, Afghanistan, Zimbabwe, Somalia, Burkina Faso, Honduras, Haiti, the Central African Republic and Ethiopia.
THOUSANDS MORE UNDERFED CHILDREN MAY DIE DUE TO COVID – WHO
An extra 10,000 children per month may die this year from malnutrition due to the COVID-19 crisis, the head of the World Health Organisation warned on Wednesday.
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a UN Food and Agriculture conference that due to the pandemic he expected a 14 per cent rise in cases of severe child malnutrition this year – or 6.7 million more people – mostly in sub-Saharan Africa and south Asia.
A man holds a malnourished girl as a woman feeds her at the malnutrition department of the al-Sabeen Maternity and Child Hospital in Sanaa, Yemen on 19th August. PICTURE: Reuters/Nusaibah Almuaalemi/File photo.
“We cannot accept a world where the rich have access to healthy diets while the poor are left behind…the rich can afford to stay home, the poor must go out to work,” he said.
After the economic devastation of the pandemic, governments must work with the private sector and civil society to support sustainable food systems and end subsidies for producers of unhealthy foods, the WHO director general added.
Millions of lives could be saved if countries expanded childhood feeding programs, reduced marketing of unhealthy foods and used fiscal policies to drive better food choices amongst consumers, he said.
“COVID has reminded us that life is fragile, health is precious, and healthy diets are not just for the wealthy, they’re a human right,” he said.
“The pandemic has caused serious disruptions to essential services, immunisation, maternal services, child nutrition, family planning and more.”
– MAYTAAL ANGEL, Reuters
World Vision says there has been a 50 per cent rise in the number of people at risk of starvation this year compared with last year – when the number of people experiencing acute hunger reached a peak of 135 million. They say that nations like the DRC, where conflict has raged for decades, are at greater risk. It cites data showing that 5.7 million people in the DRC are now at risk of starvation, a 77 per cent increase over last year.
The organisation is urging governments – including the Australian Government, to urgently boost funding to address the crisis.
“Children across the world face devastating hunger every single day,” says Carsten Bockemuehl, senior policy advisor for children in armed conflict at World Vision Australia.
“The signs are clear to see. Several countries now risk being plunged into famine situations due to COVID-19. We need funds to support children across the world – and we need them now.”
Bockemuehl described COVID-19 as “one more shock for the most vulnerable children living in fragile societies who face multiple crises, including armed conflict and forced displacement, which deeply affect their access to nutritious food”.
“Restrictions put in place to contain the spread of the virus continue to hit the incomes of poor families the hardest, meaning they don’t have enough money to purchase food. Conflict and COVID-19 are a disastrous combination, making it incredibly difficult to get help to the children and families who need it most. There is no social welfare safety net to support these people and that’s why the international community must urgently step up.”
World Vision said that to date Australia’s share of the funds dispersed under the UN’s COVID-10 Global Humanitarian Response equates to $A38 million, just 0.9 per cent of the total and a third of what Denmark, and an eighth of what the UK have given.
“We are facing an imminent crisis – children of the world need us now. Australia cannot stand on the sidelines and watch while the lives millions of children hang by a thread. We must contribute our fair share to the UN’s COVID-19 Global Humanitarian Response Plan,” Bockemuehl said.
