The UN World Food Programme (WFP) has issued a stark warning: COVID-19's economic fallout could double the number of people facing acute hunger, pushing 270 million toward famine.
Just weeks ago, the WHO, WTO, and FAO jointly alerted the world to potential global food shortages amid the pandemic. WFP Executive Director David Beasley echoed this urgency during a UN Security Council virtual session on Tuesday.
“Forgive me for speaking bluntly, but I must be clear about what the world faces now,” he stated. “Alongside the COVID-19 pandemic looms a hunger pandemic. There are no famines yet. But without immediate action—to secure food access, prevent funding gaps, and maintain trade—we could see multiple famines of biblical proportions within months.”
Beasley's remarks follow WFP's latest report, revealing 821 million people worldwide already lack sufficient food, with 135 million in acute food insecurity. The agency warns this figure could double by year's end due to the crisis.
High-risk nations include Yemen, Democratic Republic of Congo, Afghanistan, Venezuela, Ethiopia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Nigeria, and Haiti—regions strained by conflict, instability, economic woes, and disasters, now exacerbated by pandemic disruptions.
Yet, hope persists: WFP has prepositioned months of food stocks and is building new logistics networks for aid delivery. To scale up, it seeks at least $2 billion from global partners.
“With our proven expertise and partnerships, we can mobilize the resources to prevent COVID-19 from sparking a humanitarian catastrophe and global food crisis,” Beasley concluded.
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