Commenting on the publication of a new UN Report on the State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World, which highlights that 60 million more people are hungry today than they were five years ago, and three billion men, women and children – over a third of humanity – cannot afford enough healthy food to eat, Rashmi Mistry, Head of Oxfam’s Grow Campaign, said:
“This UN report is highly alarming. It shows our global food system is unravelling at the seams. Billions of people are paying the price for decades of political failure and COVID-19 is now adding to this toxic mix.”
“Governments must fully fund the UN’s COVID-19 appeal and cancel the debts of low-income countries to release the resources needed to tackle the surge in hunger linked to the pandemic.
“Governments must also create fairer, stronger, and more sustainable ways of feeding people. This means prioritizing the needs of small-scale food producers and workers over the profits of big agri-food companies, tackling the climate crisis, and ensuring all workers get paid a living wage.”