Conflict and climate drive record global hunger in 2024, UN says
ROME (Reuters) - Acute food insecurity and child malnutrition rose for a sixth consecutive year in 2024, affecting more than 295 million people across 53 countries and territories, according to a U.N. report released on Friday.
That marked a 5% increase on 2023 levels, with 22.6% of populations in worst-hit regions experiencing crisis-level hunger or worse.
"The 2025 Global Report on Food Crises paints a staggering picture," said Rein Paulsen, Director of Emergencies and Resilience at the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
"Conflict, weather extremes and economic shocks are the main drivers, and they often overlap," he added.
Looking ahead, the U.N. warned of worsening conditions this year, citing the steepest projected drop in humanitarian food funding since the report's inception -- put at anywhere between 10% to more than 45%.
U.S. President Donald Trump has led the way, largely shutting down the U.S. Agency for International Development, which provides aid to the world's needy, cancelling more than 80% of its humanitarian programs.
"Millions of hungry people have lost, or will soon lose, the critical lifeline we provide," warned Cindy McCain, the head of the Rome-based World Food Programme.
Conflict was the leading cause of hunger, impacting nearly 140 million people across 20 countries in 2024, including areas facing "catastrophic" levels of food insecurity in Gaza, South Sudan, Haiti and Mali. Sudan has confirmed famine conditions.
Economic shocks, such as inflation and currency devaluation, helped push 59.4 million people into food crises in 15 countries -- nearly double the levels seen prior to the COVID-19 pandemic -- including Syria and Yemen.
Extreme weather, particularly El Nino-induced droughts and floods, shunted 18 countries into crisis, affecting more than 96 million people, especially in Southern Africa, Southern Asia, and the Horn of Africa.
The number of people facing famine-like conditions more than doubled to 1.9 million -- the highest since monitoring for the global report began in 2016.
Malnutrition among children reached alarming levels, the report said. Nearly 38 million children under five were acutely malnourished across 26 nutrition crises, including in Sudan, Yemen, Mali and Gaza.
Forced displacement also exacerbated hunger. Nearly 95 million forcibly displaced people, including refugees and internally displaced persons, lived in countries facing food crises, such as Democratic Republic of Congo, Colombia.
Despite the grim overall trend, 2024 saw some progress. In 15 countries, including Ukraine, Kenya and Guatemala, food insecurity eased due to humanitarian aid, improved harvests, easing inflation and a decline in conflict.
To break the cycle of hunger, the report called for investment in local food systems. "Evidence shows that supporting local agriculture can help the most people, with dignity, at lower cost," Paulsen said.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
25 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Anti-DEI group targets Geisinger College of Health Sciences over program
SCRANTON — A national anti-DEI group has targeted the Geisinger College of Health Sciences with recent filings of discrimination complaints. Virginia-based Do No Harm purported in news releases in March and June that it filed separate complaints with two federal agencies against the college, citing as discriminatory its federally funded Center of Excellence for Diversity and Inclusion and a summer program that aimed to help students from Black, Hispanic or Native American communities that are underrepresented in the medical field transition into medical school. The Do No Harm discrimination complaints come amid President Donald Trump's efforts to dismantle DEI, or diversity, equity and inclusion, programs in the public and private sectors. Trump issued executive orders in the first week of his second term targeting DEI initiatives. 'Geisinger College of Health Sciences did a thorough review of our programs after the presidential executive orders were issued to ensure compliance. The pre-matriculation program referenced in the (Do No Harm) complaint ended in 2024 and is no longer active,' Geisinger CHS said in a statement. Do No Harm is labeled by the Southern Poverty Law Center as an 'anti-LGBTQ+ hate group.' Critics of the SPLC say it's politically biased and its definition of hate group is overly broad. Do No Harm first filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on March 19 against Geisinger CHS, according to a news release posted on the Do No Harm website. A member of Do No Harm then filed a similar complaint June 5 with the U.S. Department of Education, because Geisinger 'did not learn its lesson' from the initial complaint filed with HHS, the advocacy organization announced in another news release. The Times-Tribune could not verify that the complaints were filed with both departments, and whether either agency investigated the allegations or took any actions. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the U.S. Department of Education through separate representatives said they do not confirm the existence of complaints. Do No Harm, established in April 2022, claims it has 17,000 members, including doctors, nurses, physicians and concerned citizens, and cites its mission as safeguarding health care from ideological threats. 'Do No Harm seeks to highlight and counteract divisive trends in medicine, such as 'Diversity, Equity and Inclusion' and youth-focused gender ideology,' the organization's website says. According to the SPLC, Do No Harm in 2024 filed eight lawsuits challenging programs such as scholarships and fellowships for marginalized people. 'The group claims that the practice of nonprofit organizations like the American Association of University Women to provide fellowships to students of color and LGBTQ+ students — groups historically underrepresented in academia and medicine — harms patients by requiring medical schools to accept or fund unqualified candidates. According to the group, the case was dismissed 'after AAUW agreed to drop the racial criteria in the fellowship's selection process,'' the SPLC website says. According to the website of Geisinger College of Health Sciences, it is the research and education arm of the Geisinger health system. Established in 2022, the college unifies the Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine, Geisinger School of Nursing, Geisinger School of Graduate Education, graduate medical education, Center for Faculty and Professional Development and more. * Geisinger College of Medicine in Scranton on Monday, June 9, 2025. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER) * Geisinger College of Medicine in Scranton on Monday, June 9, 2025. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER) * Geisinger College of Medicine in Scranton on Monday, June 9, 2025. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER) Show Caption 1 of 3 Geisinger College of Medicine in Scranton on Monday, June 9, 2025. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER) Expand
Yahoo
39 minutes ago
- Yahoo
UAMS chancellor stepping down after 7 years, returning to faculty
UAMS Chancellor Cam Patterson announces a new $31.7 million grant from the National Institutes of Health on July 10, 2024. (Mary Hennigan/Arkansas Advocate) The leader of Arkansas' largest healthcare system will step down after seven years for personal and medical reasons, the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences announced Tuesday in a news release. Dr. Cam Patterson became the university's chancellor in June 2018. By giving up his position as chancellor and as UAMS Health CEO, he will return to being a faculty member in the university's cardiology department. Patterson 'is facing medical and personal issues that require more attention than he can give them while serving in the chancellor's position,' according to UAMS' news release. 'The work our team has done at UAMS over the last seven-plus years has been the high point of my career,' Patterson said in the release. 'We have a lot to be proud of and I've been the luckiest guy to be a part of it. I am excited about the opportunity to return to the faculty and engage more deeply in the academic and clinical missions at our institution.' UAMS System President Jay Silveria praised Patterson's leadership tenure in the release. 'Leading UAMS is a demanding task, and I appreciate Dr. Patterson's need to do what he feels is best for himself and his family and for the long-term success of the university,' Silveria said. 'His contributions to UAMS came through unusually restrictive times, and he should be celebrated for his efforts to push the institution forward while navigating a challenging environment.' Patterson 'oversaw both challenges and improvement in the university's economic outlook, despite the myriad issues presented by the COVID-19 pandemic and other unforeseen variables,' the release states. One such challenge was a conflict between state and federal mandates regarding COVID-19 vaccinations. The federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services issued a mandate in November 2021 for health workers to be fully vaccinated or receive exemptions, with noncompliant facilities at risk of losing federal funding. The rule directly conflicted with a 2021 Arkansas law that said COVID-19 vaccination 'shall not be a condition of education, employment, entry, or services from the state or a state agency or entity' unless lawmakers approved an exception. Patterson sought an exemption and defended this decision before a legislative committee. Silveria will name an interim UAMS chancellor 'in the coming weeks' and start a national search for Patterson's permanent successor, the news release states. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
39 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Fewer than 1 in 4 Colorado voters support Medicaid cuts
(Stock photo by) Just 21% of Colorado voters want Congress to decrease Medicaid spending, according to a poll released Tuesday. Concerns about gutted health care access come as U.S. Senate Republican leaders work to push through a tax and spending bill that would cut Medicaid by an estimated $625 billion over the next decade. The poll zeroed in on the 8th Congressional District, which includes the northern Denver metro area and parts of Weld County. In the district, where 1 in 4 residents receive Medicaid benefits, 63% of voters said they would be less likely to vote for a candidate who voted to cut Medicaid. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX The 8th District is represented by Republican Gabe Evans, who voted in favor of the plan that would reduce federal Medicaid spending when it was brought to the U.S. House of Representatives in May. A spokesperson for Evans defended the vote, saying a proposed provision to institute part-time work requirements for some people to retain Medicaid eligibility would make 'the program more efficient by cutting out fraud, waste, and abuse.' 'Congressman Gabe Evans has been steadfast in his support of protecting Medicaid for the vulnerable populations it was created to serve — pregnant women, kids, and disabled people,' said spokesperson Delanie Bomar in a statement Tuesday. Evans, who was elected to the House last year, represents one of the country's few congressional swing districts. According to the poll, 42% of voters in the district want to see increased federal Medicaid spending, 20% want it to stay about the same and 28% want it to decrease. Medicaid, the state-federal health care program for lower-income people and some with disabilities, serves more than 70 million U.S. residents. The poll of 675 registered Colorado voters was conducted by Broomfield-based firm Magellan Strategies on behalf of the nonprofit Healthier Colorado. It has a margin of error of 3.7%. 'Politicians are saying that they want to cut Medicaid to make it better, but the poll shows clearly that voters aren't buying what they're selling,' said Jake Williams, CEO of Healthier Colorado. 'It shows that there's real political peril for any candidate who votes to cut Medicaid.' Bomar pointed to the poll's findings that many respondents, especially those who are Republicans or unaffiliated, said Medicaid 'should only be for U.S. citizens or legal residents, with some calling for stricter eligibility enforcement.' Immigrants who are in the U.S. unlawfully are not eligible for federal Medicaid benefits, but Colorado and 13 other states provide some state-funded coverage to immigrants lacking permanent legal status. Under the proposed federal cuts, an estimated 7.8 million people, most of them citizens or lawful residents, would lose access to Medicaid, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office. Some of the main reasons cited in the poll by respondents who said they have favorable opinions of Medicaid are the benefits it provides to low-income Coloradans, seniors, children, people with disabilities and single parents. 'The poll shows that Medicaid cuts would have devastating effects for both our health and economy here in Colorado,' Williams said. 'I also think it shows that Colorado voters aren't dummies.' SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
