The United Nations food relief agency – World Food programme — said that the present coronavirus pandemic would push about 130 million people to starvation. This is apart from 135 million people already facing hunger.
WFP Executive Director David Beasley said that the world was not only facing “a global health pandemic but also a global humanitarian catastrophe”. Noting that millions of people in conflict scarred nations are on the brink of starvation, he stated that famine was a real and dangerous possibility.
He mentioned that the WFP offered lifeline to nearly 100 million people now. Last year it was 80 million. If not, about three lakh could starve to death every single day over a three-month period, he said.
David Beasley urged everyone to provide “swift and unimpeded” humanitarian access to vulnerable communities. He also called for coordinated action to support life-saving assistance. The WFP also urged an immediate assistance of 350 million dollars.
Raising the urgency of early warning systems, he said that the world could be facing multiple famines of various proportions within a few months if one does not act now.
Meanwhile, Food and Agriculture Organization Director-General Qu Dongyu said that extreme weather, desert locusts, conflicts, economic shocks and now COVID-19 are likely to bring acute food insecurity. He also noted that the food security forecast in 2020 looked bleak
