Latest news with #ElNino-induced
Time of India
17-05-2025
- General
- Time of India
Conflict and climate drive record global hunger in 2024, UN says
Rome: 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 per cent increase on 2023 levels, with 22.6 per cent 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 per cent. 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 per cent 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.
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Global hunger hits new high amid conflict, extreme weather: UN
Global hunger hit a new high last year with the outlook for 2025 'bleak,' according to a United Nations-backed report. 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, the 2025 Global Report on Food Crises (GFRC), released on Friday, warned. Conflict, weather extremes and economic shocks were identified as the main drivers. The report, which provides its analysis through a collaborative effort with United Nations agencies, states that the rise in hunger levels of 5 percent over 2023 was the sixth in a row. Overall, 22.6 percent of populations in the worst-hit regions experienced crisis-level hunger or was the leading cause of hunger, affecting 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, 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. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called the report an 'unflinching indictment of a world dangerously off course'. 'From Gaza and Sudan, to Yemen and Mali, catastrophic hunger driven by conflict and other factors is hitting record highs, pushing households to the edge of starvation,' Guterres said. 'This is more than a failure of systems – it is a failure of humanity. Hunger in the 21st century is indefensible. We cannot respond to empty stomachs with empty hands and turned backs,' he added. Afghanistan, Sudan, Syria and Yemen were among the countries with both the highest numbers of people and the highest share of their populations facing acute food insecurity. The report found that 'the number of people facing high levels of acute food insecurity almost tripled' in 2024. Moreover, 26 countries with high acute food crises were also detected as having a nutrition crisis. Sudan, Yemen, Mali and Palestine faced the 'most severe nutrition crises' last year. In July 2024, famine was confirmed in the ZamZam camp in Sudan's North Darfur. It was later identified in four more areas of the country from October to November and 'another five [areas] from December 2024 to May 2025'. In Palestine, while famine was projected in March 2024, it was averted due to a scale-up of humanitarian aid. However, as the war in Gaza continues and the Israeli blockade on aid remains, the report found that 'acute food insecurity, malnutrition, and mortality' are likely to pass famine thresholds by September. Food insecurity eased in 15 countries, including Ukraine, Kenya and Guatemala, last year due to scaled-up humanitarian aid, improved harvests, easing inflation and a decline in conflict. However, the report warned that the outlook is bleak as major donor countries have substantially reduced humanitarian funding.
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
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.
TimesLIVE
15-05-2025
- Business
- TimesLIVE
IMF ends Malawi programme after no review completed in 18 months
Malawi's $175m (R3.19bn) loan programme from the International Monetary Fund has been terminated after no review was completed over an 18-month period, the fund said late on Wednesday. The donor-dependent Southern African country only received an initial disbursement of $35m (R637.7m) under the four-year Extended Credit Facility approved in November 2023. The IMF said the programme was not able to restore macroeconomic stability. Inflation is running at over 30% in annual terms, while crippling foreign exchange shortages have curbed key imports such as fuel and fertiliser. "Fiscal discipline has proven difficult to maintain in the current environment due to elevated spending pressures and insufficient revenue mobilisation efforts," the IMF said on its website. The country's foreign exchange system had made it difficult to rebuild international reserves and its external debt remained unsustainable because it had not been fully restructured, it said. Malawi's finance ministry said the government would seek to negotiate a new IMF programme after national elections in September. It said government efforts to stabilise the economy had been dogged by "exogenous shocks" like a cholera outbreak, cyclones and last year's El Nino-induced drought
Business Recorder
15-05-2025
- Business
- Business Recorder
Malawi's IMF programme ends after only $35 million disbursed
BLANTYRE: Malawi's $175 million loan programme from the International Monetary Fund has been terminated after no review was completed over an 18-month period, the fund said late on Wednesday. The donor-dependent Southern African country only received an initial disbursement of $35 million under the four-year Extended Credit Facility approved in November 2023. The IMF said the programme was not able to restore macroeconomic stability. Inflation is running at over 30% in annual terms , while crippling foreign exchange shortages have curbed key imports such as fuel and fertiliser. 'Fiscal discipline has proven difficult to maintain in the current environment due to elevated spending pressures and insufficient revenue mobilisation efforts,' the IMF said on its website. It said the country's foreign exchange system had made it difficult to rebuild international reserves and its external debt remained unsustainable because it had not been fully restructured. Malawi's finance ministry said the government would seek to negotiate a new IMF programme after national elections in September. It said government efforts to stabilise the economy had been dogged by 'exogenous shocks' like a cholera outbreak, cyclones and last year's El Nino-induced drought.
