Nearly a tenth of the global population – up to 811 million people – were undernourished in 2020, said a new report titled “The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World.” The report is jointly published by FAO, IFAD, UNICEF, WFP and the World Health Organization (WHO).

The number of undernourished people in the world continued to rise in 2020.

Between 720 and 811 million people faced hunger.

Check out the @UN interactive report on the State of Food Security & Nutrition in the world
👉https://t.co/10sy4698OF#SOFI2021 #FoodSystems pic.twitter.com/7coiKRpv0E

— FAO Knowledge (@FAOKnowledge) July 12, 2021

Facts & Figures:

More than half of all undernourished people (about 418 million) live in Asia followed by Africa (282 million) and Latin America and the Caribbean (60 million).

However, the sharpest rise in hunger was witnessed in Africa, where the estimated prevalence of undernourishment is more than double that of any other region.

The world is not on track to end hunger & malnutrition by 2030.

Between 720 and 811 million people faced hunger in 2020.

We must transform our agri-#FoodSystems so everyone has access to the food they need.

📙UN Report 👉 https://t.co/TG4RSQ1rzs
#SOFI2021 pic.twitter.com/CqnVzkriXm

— FAO (@FAO) July 12, 2021

The report goes on to say that about 30 percent of the global population did not have year-round access to adequate food. Also, gender inequality too intensified i.e. for every 10 food-insecure males; there were 11 food-insecure females last year.

Based on current trends, the report estimates that Sustainable Development Goal 2 (Zero Hunger by 2030) will be missed by a margin of approximately 660 million people.

Recommendations:

· Integrate humanitarian, development and peace-building policies in conflict areas, such as through social protection measures to prevent families from selling their assets in exchange for food.

· Climate resilience needs to be scaled up across food systems.

· Strengthen the resilience of the most vulnerable to economic adversity through in-kind or cash support programs to reduce the impact of food price volatility.

· Lower the cost of nutritious foods with interventions along supply chains.

· Tackle poverty and structural inequalities by boosting food value chains in poor communities

· Strengthen food environments and changing consumer behavior

Over 330 million youngsters have been stuck at home for about nine months, since the COVID-19 spread unprecedentedly this time last year, leaving them feeling isolated and anxious about their future.

“Tens and tens of millions of youngsters have been left feeling isolated and afraid and lonely and anxious because of these enforced lockdowns and isolations that have become as a result of this pandemic,” said UNICEF spokesperson James Elder.

He said countries needed to emerge from this pandemic “with a better approach, a better approach to child and adolescent mental health, and that probably starts just by giving the issue the attention it deserves.”

The UN agency also stated that the COVID-19 pandemic has halted critical mental health services in 93% of countries globally.

The Philippines government, in collaboration with WHO and UNICEF, will conduct the nationwide measles and polio supplemental immunization campaign next month.

In the Philippines, about 2.4 million children under the age of 5 are susceptible for measles.

The nationwide Measles Rubella-Oral Polio Vaccine Supplemental Immunization campaign will be launched in two phases.

• Phase 1 will be conducted from 26 October to 25 November 2020

• Phase 2 will be conducted in February 2021

According to a new UNICEF and Save the Children analysis, the number of children living in multidimensional poverty – without access to health, education, housing, nutrition, sanitation, or water – has increased to around 1.2 billion due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

New analysis has revealed the number of children living in multidimensional poverty has increased by 15% since the start of the pandemic.

“COVID-19 and the lock-down measures imposed to prevent its spread have pushed millions of children deeper into poverty. Families on the cusp of escaping poverty have been pulled back in, while others are experiencing levels of deprivation they have never seen before. Most concerningly, we are closer to the beginning of this crisis than its end,” said Henrietta Fore, UNICEF Executive Director.

According to a new report launched by UNICEF and Pure Earth, lead poisoning is affecting children on a massive and previously unknown scale.

The report states that around 1 in 3 children – up to 800 million globally – have blood lead levels at or above 5 micrograms per deciliter, the level at which requires action. Nearly half of these children live in South Asia.

“Lead is a potent neurotoxin which causes irreparable harm to children’s brains. It is particularly destructive to babies and children under the age of 5 as it damages their brains before they have had the opportunity to fully develop, causing them lifelong neurological, cognitive and physical impairment,” the report added.

The latest edition of the State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World estimated that almost 690 million people went hungry in 2019 – up by 10 million from 2018, and by nearly 60 million in 5 years.

As progress in fighting hunger stalls, the COVID-19 pandemic is intensifying the vulnerabilities and inadequacies of global food systems.

#COVID19 pandemic could tip over 130 million more people into chronic hunger by the end of 2020, adding to persistent hunger & #malnutrition 🌐 – new @FAO, @IFAD, @UNICEF, @WFP & WHO #SOFI2020 report highlights challenges to achieving 0 hunger by 2030.

👉https://t.co/M7Dmn1UMpe pic.twitter.com/szmVfrDL1x

— World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) July 13, 2020

690 million people suffer from chronic hunger. As more people go hungry & malnutrition persists around the🌎, achieving #ZeroHunger by 2030 is in doubt.

We must transform our #FoodSystems to make #HealthyDiets affordable.

📙 New UN Report👉🏽 https://t.co/tlnz98Qi5O
#SOFI2020 pic.twitter.com/Y0x1ZZHeJw

— FAO (@FAO) July 13, 2020

Here are the key highlights:

• Current estimates are that nearly 690 million people are hungry, or 8.9 per cent of the world population – up by 10 million people in one year and by nearly 60 million in five years.

• The number of people affected by severe food insecurity, which is another measure that approximates hunger, shows a similar upward trend. In 2019, close to 750 million – or nearly one in ten people in the world – were exposed to severe levels of food insecurity.

• Considering the total affected by moderate or severe food insecurity, an estimated 2 billion people in the world did not have regular access to safe, nutritious and sufficient food in 2019.

• Healthy diets are unaffordable to many people, especially the poor, in every region of the world. The most conservative estimate shows they are unaffordable for more than 3 billion people in the world.

• Asia remains home to the greatest number of undernourished (381 million). Africa is second (250 million), followed by Latin America and the Caribbean (48 million).

Overcoming hunger & #malnutrition (incl. undernutrition, micronutrient deficiencies, overweight & obesity) is about more than securing enough food to survive: what people eat must also be nutritious. Yet 3 billion people 🌐 cannot afford a healthy diet.

👉https://t.co/2I65kfSVz0 pic.twitter.com/PDAZ81uOFn

— World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) July 13, 2020

• The world is not on track to achieve Zero Hunger by 2030. If recent trends continue, the number of people affected by hunger would surpass 840 million by 2030.

• A preliminary assessment suggests that the COVID-19 pandemic may add between 83 and 132 million people to the total number of undernourished in the world in 2020 depending on the economic growth scenario.

• All diets have hidden costs, which must be understood to identify trade-offs and synergies in relation to other SDGs. Two hidden costs that are most critical relate to the health (SDG 3) and climate-related
(SDG 13) consequences of our dietary choices and the food systems that support these.

• Globally, the burden of malnutrition in all its forms remains a challenge. According to current estimates, in 2019, 21.3 per cent (144.0 million) of children under 5 years of age were stunted, 6.9 per cent (47.0 million) wasted and 5.6 per cent (38.3 million) overweight.

• The world is making progress but is not on track to achieve the 2025 and 2030 targets for child stunting and low birth weight, and for exclusive breastfeeding, is on track only for the 2025 target.

• The nutritional status of the most vulnerable population groups is likely to deteriorate further due to the health and socio-economic impacts of COVID-19.

• Shifting to healthy diets can contribute to reducing health and climate-change costs by 2030, because the hidden costs of these healthy diets are lower compared to those of current consumption patterns.

• The FAO report stated that food insecurity can worsen diet quality and consequently increase the risk of various forms of
malnutrition, potentially leading to undernutrition as well as overweight and obesity.

• To increase the affordability of healthy diets, the cost of nutritious foods must come down, according to the report.

• The cost drivers of these diets are seen throughout the food supply chain, within the food environment and in the political economy that shapes trade, public expenditure and investment policies. Tackling these cost drivers need large transformations in food systems with no one-size-fits-all solution and different trade-offs and synergies for countries.

• Countries will need a rebalancing of agricultural policies and incentives towards more nutrition-sensitive investment and policy actions all along the food supply chain to reduce food losses and enhance efficiencies at all stages.

• Nutrition-sensitive social protection policies will also be central for them to increase the purchasing power and affordability of healthy diets of the most vulnerable populations. Policies that more generally foster behavioural change towards healthy diets will also be needed.

• Malnutrition affects all age groups.
In 2019, among under-5-year-olds:
– 191 million were stunted or wasted (too short or too thin)
– 38 million were overweight