Report: 282M Experienced Acute Hunger in 2023
The Facts
According to the UN Global Report on Food Crises issued on Wednesday, acute hunger affected 282M people in 59 countries last year, which is 24M more than in 2022. The most severe decline in food insecurity was observed in Gaza and Sudan.
2023 marked the sixth year of increasing acute food insecurity, driven by conflict, extreme weather, and economic shocks. The report suggests a "bleak" global outlook for this year.
The Spin
Narrative A
Conflict and climate change are currently the leading causes of famine. Ending hostilities is very important so humanitarian aid can be securely delivered to those in need. The world is spending historic amounts of money on weapons and military systems, yet only a fraction of that could be used to end world hunger. Therefore, more financing is required to meet the increasing demand for food aid.
Narrative B
Nearly 300M people worldwide are starving. The issue is not that we aren't producing enough food — we are. There is enough food to go around, the difficulty lies in availability and/or pricing. The main issue is the high distribution costs resulting from issues like export restrictions, and people in affected areas simply don't make enough money to cover the high cost of food. The problem is political and economic, and we currently lack the resolve to eradicate starvation.
