World Hunger on the Rise, UN Food Body Confirms

The UN Food and Agriculture Organization’s (FAO) said Monday that the number of people suffering from poverty and hunger in the world has increased over the last year.

RELATED: 
Ecuador's Public Healthcare System Named Most Innovative by UN

Officials from the FAO spoke at the organization's biennially conference held in Rome, beginning Monday and continuing on until July 8. 

The actual statistics are still being calculated and won’t be revealed until September.

However the World Food Programme reported in its 2017 Global Report on Food Crises stated that a state of emergency had been called in four countries: South Sudan, Somalia, Yemen, and Nigeria.

The report stated that over a fifth of the population in Somalia are in danger of starvation. The famine crisis continues, spreading to 4.9 million people in South Sudan, 8.1 million Nigerians and an incredible 20 million in Yemen.

Last year, the number of famine victims affected globally grew to 108 million and from 80 million in 2015.

Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni will open this year’s meeting, centering the conference around resolving the world food crisis. Approximately 600 high-level government representatives with 60 ministers and at least 194 of the organization’s members are expected to attend.

The FAO reported in a statement that it in addition to the current food crisis, it plans to address issues related to global food security, famine and drought prevention, the impact of climate change on the agricultural sector and the progress of the Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development.

It was also announced that FAO, the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the World Food Program (WFP) are working together to implement one of the Sustainable Development Objectives 2, Zero Hunger, which will be a theme of The conferences