Pandemic to cause famines across the globe: UN

UN has warned that if nations don’t take adequate measures to avoid funding shortfalls and disruptions to trade due to COVID-19, the world could face multiple famines of biblical proportions in the coming months. 

“While dealing with a COVID-19 pandemic, we are also on the brink of a hunger pandemic,” David Beasley, Executive Director of the World Food Programme (WFP) stated. Touted as  “the worst humanitarian crisis since World War-II”,  COVID-19 could drag an additional 130 million people into starvation. He stated that 300,000 people could starve to death every single day over a three-month period. 

Further, Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), Qu Dongyu, cited the example of  food-insecure people in Yemen and observed that “coherent actions are needed among humanitarian, development and peace actors to address the root causes of acute food insecurity”.