WASHINGTON (July 26, 2024) The world is far off track to reach the Sustainable Development Goal of ending hunger by 2030 according to the latest State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2024 (SOFI) report. The annual report, released by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, World Food Programme, World Health Organization, and UNICEF, presents a bleak outlook on progress towards ending hunger and malnutrition.
Up to 757 million people around the globe are currently facing hunger, with an estimated 29 percent facing either moderate or severe food insecurity, and over a third of the world not able to afford a healthy diet in 2022.
“Our work towards ending hunger everywhere has been unacceptable,” states Alliance to End Hunger president Eric Mitchell. “We continue to face a global food crisis that has been worsened by conflict, climate, and continuing political and economic unrest – from Gaza, to Sudan, to Haiti and beyond, countless individuals, families, and communities demand more from us.”
While much of the SOFI report delivers sobering news, there has been measurable progress related to childhood stunting and wasting. The Alliance and its coalition partners have worked hard to ensure critical funding has been directed towards lifesaving ready-to-use therapeutic foods (RUTF) to give children a fighting chance in their key developmental stages of life, and the report produces real results of these efforts.
“It is heartening to know that there has been progress in the realm of childhood malnutrition,” states Mitchell. “This demonstrates that with the right investments, hunger is absolutely solvable. The Alliance is committed to ensuring that hunger and malnutrition are policy priorities in Congress and the Administration.”
