UN chief warns of food shortage 'catastrophe'

The head of the United Nations warned Friday that the world faces “catastrophe” because of the growing shortage of food around the globe. UN Secretary-General said the conflict in Ukraine has added to the disruptions caused by climate change, the coronavirus pandemic and inequality to produce an “unprecedented global hunger crisis” already affecting hundreds of millions of people.

António Guterres, United Nations Secretary-General said “According to the World Food Programme, in the past two years, the number of severely food insecure people around the world has more than doubled to 276 million. There is a real risk that multiple famines will be declared in 2022. And 2023 could be even worse." 

Harvests across Asia, Africa and the Americas will take a hit as farmers around the world struggle to cope with rising fertilizer and energy prices. UN negotiators were working on a deal that would enable Ukraine to export food, including via the Black Sea, and let Russia bring food and fertilizer to world markets without restrictions. Guterres also called for debt relief for poor countries to help keep their economies afloat and for the private sector to help stabilize global food markets.