The World is Facing Disaster: Guterres Sounds Alarm

This year, there is a real risk of famine, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres announced on Friday, urging ministers gathered for a meeting on food security to take practical steps to stabilize food markets and reduce price volatility for commodities, Reuters reports.

"We are facing an unprecedented global crisis of hunger," Guterres said during a virtual meeting held in Berlin. "The war in Ukraine has exacerbated issues that have been building for years—climate disruption, the COVID-19 pandemic, and a deeply unequal recovery."

According to the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), which is utilized by UN agencies, regional bodies, and aid groups to define food insecurity, more than 460,000 people are facing famine in Somalia, Yemen, and South Sudan. This is a precursor to declaring famine in the region.

The IPC data indicates that millions of people are on the brink of starvation in 34 countries. "There is a real danger that famine will be declared in several places in 2022. And 2023 could be worse," Guterres stated, calling mass starvation in the 21st century unacceptable.

The UN Secretary-General expressed that "an effective resolution to the crisis is impossible as long as Ukraine and Russia, which produce about 29 percent of global wheat exports, do not find a way to properly resume trade."