As a network, Action Against Hunger works with over 8,000 staff in 46 countries to fight hunger and malnutrition. Our life-saving programmes reached 25 million people in 2020.
As a responder on the frontline of hunger, we’re well placed to highlight the gaps in the global community’s response to addressing hunger and malnutrition. We’re committed to sharing our knowledge and expertise to ensure that ending hunger becomes a reality. We stand ready to work with governments, donors and stakeholders around the world in this mission.
The world is already off track to meet the global nutrition targets of the World Health Assembly by 2025 and SDG 2 on Zero Hunger by 2030. The Covid-19 pandemic has only worsened the nutritional status of the most vulnerable and marginalised groups worldwide, with a disproportionate impact on women and children. Between 720 to 811 million people in the world faced hunger in 2020 – an increase of 161 million more than in 2019 (SOFI 2020).
Current estimates show that of those affected by malnutrition globally, women and girls represent over 70% of people facing malnutrition. The Covid-19 pandemic could result in an additional 168,000 child deaths from malnutrition by 2022. The international community and national governments must act and invest to address the global as well as local drivers of hunger and malnutrition globally effectively.
Action Against Hunger will prioritise addressing the key drivers of hunger and malnutrition – conflict and insecurity, climate change impacts and health inequity.
But underlying and cross-cutting factors must also be tackled to effectively end malnutrition; lack of access to basic social services, gender injustices and gender-based violence, unsustainable and unjust food systems, and the Covid-19 pandemic’s secondary impacts. As both a needs-based and rights-based organisation, Action Against Hunger will champion human rights including the right to health, safe and clean drinking water, and food.