673 million people go to bed hungry every night, UN chief says on World Food Day

UNITED NATIONS, Oct. 16 (Xinhua) -- Around the world, 673 million people still go to bed hungry every night today, and many more face daily uncertainty about their next meal, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Thursday.

In his message on World Food Day, which is observed annually on Oct. 16, Guterres said that 80 years ago, countries came together to defeat hunger, and in the decades since, the world has made dramatic advances. "Yet recent crises demonstrate that we cannot drop our guard if we are to sustain these gains," he said.

The UN chief said that new challenges have emerged over the decades, from soaring obesity to climate shocks threatening food security, and "shamefully, hunger is being weaponized -- we face the appalling reality of people in conflict situations being starved with famine taking hold."

"We have the tools, knowledge and resources to end hunger, and provide good, healthy food to all. What we need is unity," he said.

This year's World Food Day theme -- "Hand-in-hand for Better Foods and a Better Future" -- is a call for solidarity across borders, sectors and communities, which echoes the priorities voiced by countries at the Food Systems Summit Stocktake in July, and the United Nations Call to Action, which identifies six key areas for action, he said.

Guterres called on the international community to come together once again to build food systems that nourish people and protect the planet.

Amid the destruction of the Second World War, nations responded to the danger of hunger and malnutrition by creating the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) on Oct. 16, 1945. In 1979, the FAO designated Oct. 16 as World Food Day to raise awareness about the importance of ensuring a world where everyone has access to diverse, nutritious, affordable and safe foods.

In a report issued on Wednesday, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) warned that cuts to WFP food assistance could push 13.7 million current food aid recipients from crisis (IPC3) to emergency (IPC4) levels of hunger. The agency expects to receive 40 percent less funding for 2025, resulting in a projected budget of 6.4 billion U.S. dollars. ■