Time to act now — Guterres
Although the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic could push nearly 50 million more people into extreme poverty, this and other dire impacts of the crisis can be avoided if countries act immediately to shore up global food security, the United Nations (UN) Secretary-General said.
For his latest policy brief on the pandemic, António Guterres focused on the need to safeguard everyone’s access to food and adequate nutrition — for now, and in the future.
“Unless immediate action is taken, it is increasingly clear that there is an impending global food emergency that could have long term impacts on hundreds of millions of children and adults,” Guterres said.
As the Secretary-General pointed out, millions were already grappling with hunger and malnutrition before the pandemic.
While there is more than enough food in the world to feed everyone, more than 820 million people still do not get enough to eat, and numbers no doubt will rise. Meanwhile, some 144 million children worldwide under the age of five are stunted, meaning they are too small for their age, mainly due to malnutrition. Guterres added that even in countries with abundant food, COVID-19 risks disrupting food supply chains. “Our food systems are failing, and the COVID-19 pandemic is making things worse,” he said. The UN policy brief lays out three main recommendations geared towards saving lives and livelihoods, which also support the transition to a greener future. First, countries should designate food and nutrition services as essential, while also implementing protections for those who work in the sector.