SEATTLE, Washington — There is a hunger crisis rising amid the COVID-19 pandemic. As economies slow down and lockdowns are enforced, food supplies are decreasing while the price of food increases. Food producers around the world are struggling to maintain their production rate and pay their employees. Transporting food has also become increasingly difficult. Millions have lost their livelihoods and do not know how they will provide for their families. Action must be taken to stop this global issue from growing.
Global Consequences of the Pandemic
The United Nations’ food agency, World Food Programme, described a potential hunger pandemic during the COVID-19 pandemic that could result in “the worst humanitarian crisis since World War II.” Between May 2020 and October 2020, humanitarian organizations expect the coronavirus to reach its peak in the world’s poorest nations. This will result in massive unemployment and a decrease, or for some a disappearance, in income.
The impact of suspended food supply chains will also have global consequences. If the outbreak is not quickly contained, new waves will leave all at risk. As U.N. Humanitarian Coordinator Mark Lowcock stated, “extraordinary measures are needed, reflecting the extraordinary problem we face.” The U.N. did not hesitate in taking the first extraordinary steps to alleviate this rising hunger crisis.
Those at Risk of Hunger
The COVID-19 outbreak’s economic ramifications has undoubtedly affected those already suffering from poverty and food insecurity, but new communities are also becoming economically vulnerable, exacerbating pre-existing inequalities.
By the end of 2020, 135 million more people could be on the edge of starvation, according to World Food Program Executive Director David Beasley. Among the most vulnerable are the elderly, the disabled, children and women in impoverished countries.
School closures interrupted the primary source of nutrition for more than 370 million children worldwide, making malnutrition and its associated diseases more threatening to families with low-income. These grim realities must be addressed. The U.N. has made a commendable start to averting a hunger crisis during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Prevention will be less costly than attempting to alleviate the consequences of international famine. “We cannot regress to the 2008 food price crisis that pushed 105 million people below the poverty line,” said Tijjani Muhammad-Bande, president of the 74th session of the U.N. General Assembly.
The U.N.’s Global Humanitarian Response Plan makes use of $6.7 billion to avert the hunger pandemic and prevent similar COVID-19 consequences from wreaking havoc on 63 low and middle-income nations.
This is Just the Beginning
The U.N. took a comprehensive short and long term approach to respond to the pandemic, recognizing that investments in healthcare, infrastructure and food security are linked. The U.N. supports food supply chains so that improved distribution systems can reach those in need and limit food waste. It is critical for Import-dependent countries to continue to receive nutritious foods. The U.N. encourages Member States to coordinate in order to promote a stable food market and support farmers. Indeed, the U.N. is still committed to achieving its Sustainable Development Goal Two: “Zero Hunger.”
Donations are vital with the World Food Programme needing $1.9 billion to reserve food for developing countries. The U.N. urges world leaders to step up and provide aid to those who need it most before it is too late.
Increased Assistance Brings Progress and Hope
Humanitarian organizations have increased their voluntarism efforts and donations to address the pandemic-induced needs of the most vulnerable. Nonprofit and community-led groups, including faith-based and women-led groups, have worked to deliver goods and foster development on the local and international scale.
An example of one such group is Oxfam, a global organization that distributed a call to action with seven allied organizations. The call asks for international donors to offer support to millions of food workers. Oxfam is calling on governments to control food prices as agricultural work and food production slows during lockdowns. Oxfam’s support for family farmers and the transport of food in COVID-19 vulnerable areas will be vital in preventing the hunger crisis amid the pandemic from worsening.
The Borgen Project has also been advocating for emergency funding for a global COVID-19 response. Congress must support $20 billion in the global action to COVID-19 aid, which includes funding that addresses anti-hunger efforts as well as the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, tuberculosis (TB), and malaria.
Key achievements of the U.N. and its partners concerning food insecurity so far include the distribution of food, cash assistance and vouchers. The U.N. has also contained the desert locust upsurge in East Africa, preventing food shortages and providing life-saving aid to farmers and their families.
If not only the U.N. itself but also its Member States continue to act to prevent a hunger crisis during the COVID-19 pandemic, the world can hope for further progress. Supporting local and international nonprofits like Oxfam is becoming more important than ever as millions around the world face food insecurity amid the pandemic. Investing in the aid of the rising hunger crisis is a timely matter, as global problems need global action.
– Mia McKnight
Photo: Flickr