Global Hunger

India ranks 105th in Global Hunger Index 2024, labelled as 'serious'

The Global Hunger Index (GHI), a tool used by international humanitarian agencies to measure and track hunger levels with GHI scores based on under-nourishment and child mortality indicators across 127 countries, has ranked India 105th, which places it under the serious category of the analysis. The 2024 report, now in its 19th edition, is published this week by Irish humanitarian organisation Concern Worldwide and German aid agency Welthungerhilfe to highlight that hunger levels will remain high in many of the world's poorest countries for several decades in the absence of more progress in measures to tackle the issue. India is among 42 countries that fall within the "serious" category, alongside Pakistan and Afghanistan, with other South Asian neighbours such as Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka showing better GHI scores to be listed under the moderate category. With a score of 27.3 in the 2024 Global Hunger Index, India has a level of hunger that is serious, reads the index ...

Brazilian President Lula seeks to boost support for alliance against hunger

Brazilian President Luiz Incio Lula da Silva unveiled a global alliance against hunger and poverty in Rio de Janeiro on Wednesday, an initiative he described as one of Brazil's top priorities for its current presidency of the Group of 20 nations. Hunger is not something natural. Hunger is something that requires a political decision, Lula said during a ministerial meeting to establish the global alliance. The leftist leader slammed the perpetuation of hunger across the world despite sufficient production. Lula was seeking to bolster support ahead of the formal establishment of the alliance later this year, when world leaders will gather in Rio de Janeiro for the Nov. 18-19 summit of the leading 20 rich and developing nations. The alliance aims to implement a mechanism to mobilize funds and knowledge to support the expansion of policies and programs to combat inequality and poverty, according to a statement from Brazil's G20 press office on Tuesday. It will be managed from a ...

India contributes $1 mn to IBSA Fund to alleviate poverty, hunger

India has contributed USD 1 million to a fund established by India, Brazil and South Africa which undertake projects aimed at alleviating poverty and hunger. India's Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Ruchira Kamboj handed over the cheque of USD 1 million as a contribution towards the India, Brazil and South Africa Facility for Poverty and Hunger Alleviation Fund (IBSA Fund) to the Director of the UN Office for South-South Cooperation (UNOSSC) Dima Al-Khatib here on Monday. Speaking on the occasion, Kamboj said the focus of India's G20 Presidency was the development of the people, by the people and for the people. Accordingly, India is committed to supporting the IBSA Fund as we believe that the Fund has made a positive impact on the lives of millions across the Global South and has strengthened the spirit of South-South cooperation, she said. The IBSA countries - India, Brazil and South Africa - each contribute one million dollars annually to the Fund in a spirit of ...

Health minister Mandaviya rejects India's low rank in Global Hunger Index

Rejecting India's low rank in Global Hunger Index-2023, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Sunday said parameters that are currently being followed for evaluation are not based on conditions specific to the country. Interacting with students at IIT-Guwahati, he refuted reports of large-scale malnutrition in India. "Every country and its people have their own body and genetic structures, which also leads to a difference in how malnutrition is measured. What Europe considers as its parameter for determining malnutrition, it may not be applicable for us," he said. "Some company makes its own index and comes up with a list and we believe it. It can't happen. We are now analysing whether these parameters are applicable for us," he said, replying to a question from a student on India performing poorly in the Global Hunger Index. India ranked 111th out of 125 countries in the Global Hunger Index-2023, released on Thursday, with the country reporting the highest child wasting rate

As India's rank falls to 111, here's everything about Global Hunger Index

Global Hunger Index 2023: India's neighbouring countries Pakistan (102nd), Bangladesh (81st), Nepal (69th) and Sri Lanka (60th) fared better than it

India ranks 111th on Global Hunger Index 2023, govt calls it flawed measure

India ranked 111th out of 125 countries in the Global Hunger Index-2023, which was rejected by the government as erroneous and having malafide intent. The index, released on Thursday, also stated that India has the highest child wasting rate in the world at 18.7 per cent, reflecting acute undernutrition. India ranked 107th out of 121 countries in the 2022 edition of the Global Hunger Index (GHI), a tool for comprehensively measuring and tracking hunger at global, regional, and national levels. With a score of 28.7 in the Global Hunger Index-2023, India has a level of hunger that is serious, according to a report based on the index. India's neighbouring countries Pakistan (102nd), Bangladesh (81st), Nepal (69th) and Sri Lanka (60th) have fared better than it in the index. South Asia and Africa South of the Sahara are the world regions with the highest hunger levels, with a GHI score of 27 each, indicating serious hunger. "India has the highest child wasting rate in the world, at 1

As war jams food supply, hunger now grips quarter of a billion globally

Some 258 million people across 58 countries or territories suffered food insecurity acute enough to threaten their lives or livelihoods in 2022

Nobel Prize-winning UN World Food Program head to step down

The executive director of the United Nations World Food Program, which won the Nobel Peace Prize two years ago, says he will step down at the end of a six-year term heading the world's largest humanitarian organization. David Beasley, a Republican, served one term as South Carolina's governor from 1995 to 1999. In a statement Saturday, Beasley said he will exit his role at the conclusion of his term in April 2023. Serving in this capacity has been the greatest joy and deepest heartache of my life, Beasley said. Thanks to the generosity of governments and individuals, we have fed so many millions of people. But the reality is we have not been able to feed them all and the tragedy of extreme hunger in a wealthy world persists. Beasley was appointed to the U.N. post in 2017 by then-U.S. President Donald Trump, and was recommended for the job by Nikki Haley, another former South Carolina governor. Haley also served as the U.S. ambassador to the U.N. during the Trump administration. ...

Global food concerns rise as Russia halts UN-brokered Ukraine grain deal

US President Joe Biden has warned that global hunger could increase because of Russia's suspension of a UN-brokered deal to allow safe passage for ships carrying Ukrainian grain. It's really outrageous, said Biden speaking in Wilmington, Delaware, on Saturday. There's no merit to what they're doing. The UN negotiated that deal and that should be the end of it. Biden spoke hours after Russia announced it would immediately halt participation in the agreement, alleging that Ukraine staged a drone attack Saturday against Russia's Black Sea Fleet ships off the coast of occupied Crimea. Ukraine has denied the attack, saying that Russia mishandled its own weapons. The grain initiative has allowed more than 9 million tons of grain in 397 ships to safely leave Ukrainian ports since it was signed in July, and the UN chief on Friday urged Russia and Ukraine to renew the deal when it expires in late November. The grain agreement has succeeded in bringing down global food prices, which have fal

Govt says Global Hunger Index exaggerates measure of hunger: Report

The Global Hunger Index exaggerates the measure of hunger, lacks statistical vigour and has problems on multiple counts, Union Health Ministry sources said Tuesday after India stood 107th out of 121 in this year's rankings. It does not really measure hunger, they said while asserting that the report "deliberately ignores the tremendous efforts made by the government to ensure food security for the population, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic". Three out of the four indicators used are related to the health of children and cannot be representative of the entire population, sources said. They said that according to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) the indicators of undernourishment, stunting, wasting and child mortality do not measure hunger per se as these are not the manifestations of hunger alone. Many of the measures that are used to evolve an index that measures hunger are probably contextual, the ministry sources said. Claiming that the Global Hunger Index

Global Hunger Index: Writing on the wall, or "misleading measurements"?

The Indian government has maintained the stance that the Global Hunger Index is an "erroneous measurement of hunger" and part of a "consistent effort" to "taint India's image"

Soaring dollar leaves food piled up in ports as world hunger grows

Dwindling foreign-currency reserves in many cases has reduced access to dollars, and banks are slow in releasing payments

Unresolved Ukraine crisis can derail global effort to end hunger: India

Reiterating its call for dialogue and diplomacy, India said that if the conflict in Ukraine is not solved through talks immediately, there will be severe repercussions in the global economy

Russia-Ukraine war could push 11-19 mn into hunger worldwide: UN agency

Russia's war in Ukraine has a significant impact on the global food markets and could leave an additional 11 to 19 million people with hunger, the UN's Food and Agricultural Organization warned

Russian President Putin ties grain exports to demand that sanctions go

Putin didn't specify if he was referring to Russian exports or those from Ukraine that have been stopped by Moscow's blockage of ports since its invasion began in late February

40 million more pushed into acute hunger last year: United Nations

The United Nations defines "acute food insecurity" as when a person's inability to consume adequate food puts their lives or livelihoods in immediate danger

UN responds to Musk on how his wealth could address world hunger

The head of UN's food-assistance branch WFP David Beasley has laid out the plan as to how this amount could prevent 42 million people across 43 countries from starving

Global Hunger Index 2021 reflects India's reality post Covid: Oxfam

India's Global Hunger Index 2021 ranking at 101st position "unfortunately" reflects the reality of the country, Oxfam India said

Dip in India's rank in Global Hunger Index 2021 'shocking', says govt

The Centre on Friday said it was shocking that India's rank was lowered on the Global Hunger Index, terming the methodology used for rankings "unscientific". India slipped to 101st position in the Global Hunger Index (GHI) 2021 of 116 countries, from its 2020 position of 94th. It is now behind its neighbours Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nepal. Reacting sharply to the report, the Women and Child Development Ministry said it is "shocking" to find that the Global Hunger Report 2021 has lowered the rank of India on the basis of FAO estimate on proportion of undernourished population which is found to be "devoid of ground reality and facts and suffers from serious methodological issues". "The publishing agencies of the Global Hunger Report, Concern Worldwide and Welt Hungerhilfe, have not done their due diligence before releasing the report," the ministry said in a statement. The methodology used by FAO is "unscientific", the ministry claimed.

Global hunger to rise in 2021 due to income losses from Covid-19 pandemic

291 million people won't have enough to eat in 2021, according to the US Department of Agriculture.