23/06/2020
Food is central to human well-being: it provides the body with nourishment, offers livelihoods that lift people out of poverty, and brings communities together. Although food is a basic human need, too many people are trapped in a cycle of hunger by forces beyond their immediate control, like poverty, disaster, conflict and inequality.
Despite decades of progress in reducing world hunger, 2017 saw increases in the number of people who are hungry. More than 820 million people still go to bed hungry every night — that’s one in every nine people who don’t have the food they need to live a healthy, productive life.
The World Health Organization considers this to be the single greatest threat to global health. Hunger is cyclical and generational: it inhibits people’s ability to work and learn to their fullest potential, which can curb their future and trap them and their families in more poverty — and more hunger.
World hunger is caused by so much more than a shortage of food. Even in places where food is plentiful or can be grown, challenges like disasters, conflict or poverty prevent people from accessing it.
People in poverty generally spend between 60 and 80 percent of their income on food, which can force them to prioritize feeding their families over meeting other basic needs or reaching long-term goals, like sending their children to school. If an emergency strikes, they may need to skip meals in order to cope financially — and the cycle of hunger continues.
HOW TO FIGHT HUNGER.
First, stay informed. An informed public is the first step to any meaningful action. Learn more about the global goal to eradicate global hunger by 2030, and about the other Sustainable Development Goals.
Second, donate. UN agencies and other humanitarian partners urgently need funding to combat famine and hunger worldwide. Donate here to WFP, the largest humanitarian agency fighting hunger worldwide.
Third, use your voice. Let your leaders, friends, families, and social networks know that you care about ending hunger, you support the UN’s work, and you believe we need to provide funding and other resources to the UN and partners working to reach the goal of zero hunger.
