The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2017 (SOFI) has revealed that global hunger is on the rise again after declining for more than two decades. Global hunger rose from 777 million in 2015 to 815 million people in 2016.
This recent surge in hunger resulted in the worst-case scenario in South Sudan, with famine declared in February, and alerts of a high risk of famine for Somalia, Yemen and northeastern Nigeria in 2017. Conflict remains the main reason behind this reversal. Data shows that the majority of hungry people live in countries affected by conflict – 489 million out of the 815 million people. And almost 75 percent of the world’s stunted under-five year olds live in countries affected by conflict – 122 million out of the 155 million children. That means an entire generation will likely grow up to face diminished productive capacity, income-earning potential and social skills with far-reaching implications for many communities and countries.
Against this background and in the context of increasing humanitarian crises, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and the World Food Programme are committed, alongside Member States, to provide decision makers and the public at large with transparent and harmonized information to increase accountability by all.