One year of the Black Sea Initiative: key facts
10/7/2023: For almost a year, the UN-brokered Black Sea Initiative agreed by Russia, Türkiye, and Ukraine has allowed millions of tonnes of grain to leave Ukraine’s ports. The Initiative has helped reverse spiking global food prices, which reached record highs shortly before the agreement was signed.
Source: UN News
WFP funding crisis leaves millions without aid in West Africa
5/7/2023: Food insecurity has reached a 10-year high in West and Central Africa, affecting 47 million people during the June-August lean season. A funding crunch means that the World Food Programme will be able to assist just over half of those initially targeted. Mali and Chad will be hit the hardest.
Source: World Food Programme
Russia-Ukraine renew grain deal, but doubts persist
17/5/2023: The Black Sea Grain Initiative, a deal between Ukraine and Russia that allows for the continued export of grain and other food products has been extended for 60 days. Since the deal was introduced in July 2022, it has helped stabilize global food prices.
Source: DW
Global report finds quarter of a billion people hungry
3/5/2023: The 2023 Global Report on Food Crises finds that 258 million people in 58 countries faced high levels of acute food insecurity in 2022, a jump of about 33% from the previous year. The world is wildly off track for achieving its goal of zero hunger by the end of this decade.
Source: Devex
What’s on Cindy McCain’s plate as WFP’s new chief
5/4/2023: The incoming head of the World Food Programme faces unprecedented challenges. Global food insecurity and extreme hunger are at record levels, driven by a mix of conflict, COVID-19, the climate crisis, and economic turmoil. There’s not enough donor funding to cover what aid agencies say they need.
Source: The New Humanitarian
Black Sea grain deal extended
18/3/2023: The UN has announced that a deal allowing for the safe export of grain from Ukrainian ports had been extended, on the day it was due to expire. Since July last year the agreement has helped bring down global food prices.
Source: DW
Half of Syria’s population faces hunger
14/3/2023: Over 12 million people, more than 50% of Syria's population, are currently food insecure and a further 3 million are at risk of sliding into hunger, as the country grapples with the impact of recent earthquakes and the 12-year-long conflict. A funding crunch for the World Food Programme in Syria threatens to curtail food aid, exactly when people need it most.
Source: World Food Programme
Global hunger set to spiral as debt crisis bites
6/3/2023: A panel of experts warns that the global food crisis has entered a dangerous new phase as developing country debt skyrockets. They observe that these countries are locked into exporting cash crops to pay off dollar-denominated debts at the expense of feeding local populations.
Source: iPes Food
Cereal production falls in Africa’s “year of nutrition”
17/2/2023: Despite promises, nearly three-quarters of African governments have reduced their agricultural budgets while paying almost double that on arms. Chronic under-investment in agriculture is a key cause of the widespread hunger experienced in 2022.
Source: Oxfam International
UN food agencies call for action on the global food crisis
8/2/2023: A joint statement by UN food and development agencies warns that food insecurity is on the rise, with global food supplies projected to drop to a three-year low in 2022/2023. They recommend urgent action to rescue hunger hotspots, facilitate trade and reform harmful subsidies.
Source: UN Food and Agriculture Organization