SDG 2, Zero Hunger May Not Be Achieved By 2030, With More Than 1/5th Of Africans Facing Hunger In 2024- Report
The world is at risk of failing to achieve Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 2 and Zero Hunger by 2030 according to the annual report, released this year during the G20 Global Alliance against Hunger and Poverty Task Force Ministerial Meeting in Brazil, issued by five United Nations (UN) agencies.
According to the latest State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (SOFI) report published on Wednesday by five United Nations specialised agencies, the world has been set back 15 years, with levels of undernourishment comparable to those in 2008-2009. The report also revealed that approximately 733 million people will face hunger in 2023, equivalent to one in every eleven people globally and one in every five in Africa.
According to a statement released on Thursday by United Nations agencies, despite some progress in specific areas such as stunting and exclusive breastfeeding, an alarming number of people continue to face food insecurity and malnutrition as global hunger levels have plateaued for three years in a row, with between 713 and 757 million people undernourished in 2023—approximately 152 million more than in 2019 when considering the mid-range (733 million).
“Regional trends vary significantly: the percentage of the population facing hunger continues to rise in Africa (20.4%), remains stable in Asia (8.1%)—though still representing a significant challenge as the region is home to more than half of those facing hunger worldwide—and shows progress in Latin America (6.2%).” Hunger increased from 2022 to 2023 in Western Asia, the Caribbean, and the majority of African subregions.
“If current trends continue, approximately 582 million people will be chronically undernourished by 2030, with half of them in Africa,” warn the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the UN World Food Programme (WFP), and the World Health Organisation (WHO). This projection is similar to the levels seen in 2015, when the Sustainable Development Goals were adopted, indicating a concerning stagnation in progress,” the statement read.
According to the report, billions of people still do not have access to adequate food. In 2023, approximately 2.33 billion people worldwide experienced moderate or severe food insecurity, a figure that has not changed significantly since the sharp increase in 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Over 864 million people experienced severe food insecurity, with some going without food for an entire day or more.
According to the report, this number has remained stubbornly high since 2020, and while Latin America has improved, broader challenges remain, particularly in Africa, where 58% of the population is moderately or severely food insecure.
“The lack of economic access to healthy diets is still a critical issue, affecting more than one-third of the world’s population. With new food price data and methodological improvements, the publication reveals that over 2.8 billion people could not afford a healthy diet in 2022. This disparity is most pronounced in low-income countries, where 71.5% of the population cannot afford a healthy diet, as opposed to 6.3% in high-income countries. Notably, the number fell below pre-pandemic levels in Asia, Northern America, and Europe, but increased significantly in Africa.
“While progress has been made in increasing exclusive breastfeeding rates among infants to 48%, meeting global nutrition targets will be challenging. Low birthweight prevalence has remained around 15%, and stunting among children under five has decreased to 22.3% but still falls short of targets. Furthermore, the prevalence of wasting in children has not improved significantly, while anaemia in women aged 15 to 49 years has increased,” the report stated.
According to the report: “Similarly, new estimates of adult obesity show a steady increase over the last decade, from 12.1% in 2012 to 15.8% in 2022.” According to projections, by 2030, the world will have more than 1.2 billion obese adults. The double burden of malnutrition, which includes both undernutrition and being overweight or obese, has also increased globally across all age groups. Thinness and underweight have declined over the last two decades, while obesity has increased dramatically.
“These trends highlight the complex challenges of malnutrition in all its forms and the urgent need for targeted interventions, as the world is not on track to meet any of the seven global nutrition targets by 2030,” the five agencies say.
“Food insecurity and malnutrition are worsening as a result of a variety of factors, including persistent food price inflation, which is eroding economic gains for many people in numerous countries. Major factors such as conflict, climate change, and economic downturns are becoming more common and severe. These issues, combined with underlying factors such as unaffordable healthy diets, unhealthy food environments, and persistent inequality, are now occurring concurrently, amplifying their individual effects.”
The theme of this year’s report, “Financing to End Hunger, Food Insecurity, and All Forms of Malnutrition,” emphasised that achieving SDG 2 Zero Hunger will necessitate a multifaceted approach that includes transforming and strengthening agrifood systems, addressing inequalities, and ensuring affordable and accessible healthy diets for all. It advocates for increased and more cost-effective financing, as well as a clear and consistent definition of financing for food security and nutrition.
In the report’s Foreword, the heads of the five UN agencies, FAO Director-General QU Dongyu, IFAD President Alvaro Lario, UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell, WFP Executive Director Cindy McCain, and WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, write: “Estimating the gap in financing for food security and nutrition and mobilising innovative financing to bridge it must be among our top priorities. Policies, legislation, and interventions to end hunger and ensure all people have access to safe, nutritious, and sufficient food (SDG Target 2.1), as well as to eliminate all forms of malnutrition (SDG Target 2.2), will require significant resource mobilisation. They are more than just a future investment; they are also our obligation. We strive to ensure that current and future generations have access to adequate food and nutrition.
According to the statement, as highlighted at a recent High-Level Political Forum at UN headquarters in New York, the report emphasises that the looming financing gap necessitates innovative, equitable solutions, particularly for countries experiencing high levels of hunger and malnutrition exacerbated by climate change.
It stated that “Countries most in need of increased financing face significant barriers to access.” Of the 119 low- and middle-income countries studied, roughly 63 per cent have limited or moderate access to financing. Furthermore, the vast majority of these countries (74%) are affected by one or more major factors that contribute to food insecurity and malnutrition. Coordinated efforts to harmonise data, increase risk tolerance, and improve transparency are critical for closing this gap and strengthening global food security and nutrition frameworks.
The FAO Director-General, Qu Dongyu, stated, “Transforming agrifood systems is more critical than ever as we face the urgency of achieving the SDGs in six short years. FAO continues to support countries in their efforts to eliminate hunger and ensure food security for all. We will collaborate with all partners and approaches, including the G20 Global Alliance Against Hunger and Poverty, to accelerate the necessary change. Together, we must innovate and collaborate to create more efficient, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable agrifood systems capable of overcoming future challenges for a better world.”
Alvaro Lario, President of IFAD, stated, “Investing in agriculture in rural areas has proven to be the quickest path out of hunger and poverty.” However, the global and financial landscapes have become far more complex since the Sustainable Development Goals were adopted in 2015. To end hunger and malnutrition, we must invest more wisely. We must bring new money into the system from the private sector and rekindle the pandemic-era appetite for ambitious global financial reform that provides cheaper financing to the countries that require it the most.”
We must bring new money into the system from the private sector and rekindle the pandemic-era appetite for ambitious global financial reform that provides cheaper financing to the countries that require it the most.” Global child stunting rates have decreased by one-third, or 55 million, over the last two decades, demonstrating that investments in maternal and child nutrition are worthwhile. However, one in every four children under the age of five suffers from malnutrition, which can have long-term consequences. We must immediately increase funding to end child malnutrition. It is possible and necessary for the entire world to accomplish this. It is not only a moral imperative, but also a prudent investment in the future.”
Cindy McCain, Executive Director of the World Food Programme, stated, “A hunger-free future is possible if we can rally the resources and political will to invest in proven long-term solutions. “I urge G20 leaders to follow Brazil’s lead and prioritise ambitious global action on hunger and poverty.”We have the technologies and know-how to end food insecurity, but we urgently need funds to invest in them on a large scale. WFP is ready to increase our collaboration with governments and partners to address the root causes of hunger, strengthen social safety nets, and promote sustainable development so that every family can live in dignity.”
Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organisation, stated that the progress made in reducing stunting and improving exclusive breastfeeding demonstrates that the challenges we face are not insurmountable. We must use these gains as motivation to alleviate the suffering that millions of people around the world face daily due to hunger, food insecurity, unhealthy diets, and malnutrition. The significant investment required for healthy, safe, and sustainably produced food is far less than the costs to economies and societies of doing nothing.”
The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the UN World Food Programme (WFP), and the World Health Organisation (WHO) collaborate to produce the annual report “The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World.”
Since 1999, it has tracked and analysed the world’s progress towards eradicating hunger, achieving food security, and improving nutrition. It also provides a detailed analysis of the key challenges to achieving these goals within the context of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The report is aimed at a broad audience, including policymakers, international organisations, academic institutions, and the general public.
This year’s theme is timely and relevant, given the upcoming Summit of the Future and the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development in 2025.