7.5m Afghans food insecure: WFP

KABUL Food Programme (WFP) as more than 7.5 million people are food insecure, the UN agency said on Thursday.

WFP delivers food assistance every year to millions of Afghans, including internally displaced people due to conflict, natural and man-made disasters and malnourished children under five, nursing and pregnant mothers.

WFP Country Director Claude Jibidar said: “We will continue to provide food assistance to vulnerable Afghans…WFP is committed to work in collaboration with the Afghan administration for Zero-Hunger.”

This year, the United Nations is marking World Food Day by highlighting both challenges around the world and the real progress being made toward “zero hunger”.

In a statement, WFP Executive Director Ertharin Cousin said: “Despite horrific crises engulfing entire regions, we are making real progress in the fight to sustainably and durably end hunger and chronic malnutrition…”

The total number of hungry people in the world is down by 37 million to 805 million, and 63 countries have reached international hunger-reduction targets before 2015.

Recent studies have outlined the devastating effect that hunger and under-nutrition can have on the lives of individuals, communities and national economies. The theme for this year’s World Food Day is “family farming”.

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