NGOs: one person dies of hunger every four seconds

It is estimated that one person dies of hunger every four seconds, according to 238 local and international non-governmental organizations from 75 countries.

World leaders met at the 77th UN General Assembly in New York to take a decision to end the global hunger crisis. The NGOs, including Oxfam, Save the Children, and Plan International, signed an open letter expressing outrage at the skyrocketing hunger levels and recommendations for action, according to Al Arabiya News. 

The signatories said in a statement that a staggering 345 million people are now experiencing acute hunger. This number has more than doubled since 2019, Relief Web reported. 

“Despite promises from world leaders to never allow famine again in the 21st century, famine is once more imminent in Somalia. Around the world, 50 million people are on the brink of starvation in 45 countries,” the statement read. 

Mohanna Ahmed Ali Eljabaly from the Yemen Family Care Association, one of the letter’s signatories, said in the statement that despite the technology used in agriculture and harvesting, the world is still talking about famine in the 21st century, according to Al Arabiya News. 

“This is not about one country or one continent, and hunger never has only one cause. This is about the injustice of the whole of humanity,” Eljabaly said, adding, “We must not wait a moment longer to focus both on providing immediate lifesaving food and longer-term support so people can take charge of their futures and provide for themselves and their families.”. 

The NGOs estimated that one person dies of hunger every four seconds, based on the fact that 19,700 people are estimated to be dying of hunger every day, according to Al Arabiya News. 

Relief Web mentioned that the global hunger crisis has been caused by poverty, social injustice, gender inequality, conflict, climate change, and economic shocks, along with the repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic and the crisis in Ukraine, which has increased food prices and the cost of living. 

Relief Web called on those in charge to cooperate in order to take action and address the current crises and prevent and prepare for future ones.