Around 113 million people in 53 countries experienced acute food insecurity in 2018, slightly down from 124 million in 2017, said a UN spokesperson.
Nearly two thirds of those facing acute hunger are in eight countries: Afghanistan, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Nigeria, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria and Yemen, Stephane Dujarric said, citing the Global Report on Food Crises 2019.
According to the report launched jointly by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the World Food Programme and the European Union, climate and natural disasters pushed another 29 million people into acute food insecurity last year.
In a message on the launch of the report, the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the report highlights the plight of millions of people who must fight every day against severe hunger and malnutrition and points the way towards solutions that can rebuild lives and livelihoods in communities around the world.
The UN chief stressed that determined action is needed to uphold last year’s UN Security Council condemnation of the use of starvation as a weapon of war.
In May 2018, the Security Council adopted a resolution to urge states to conduct investigations within their jurisdiction into violations of international humanitarian law related to the use of starvation of civilians as a method of warfare.
The Global Report on Food Crises is produced each year by the Global Network Against Food Crises, which is made up of international humanitarian and development partners. (Xinhua)