The challenge of hunger and climate change

The 2019 Global Hunger Index (GHI) indicates that the level of hunger and under-nutrition worldwide, with a GHI score of 20.0, falls on the cusp of the moderate and serious categories. This value reflects a decline in the global GHI score in each period examined since 2000, when the global GHI score was 29.0 and fell into the serious category. This achievement coincides with a global decline in poverty and increased funding for nutrition initiatives worldwide. However, current action and spending are still insufficient to reach global goals such as the second Sustainable Development Goal—Zero Hunger— and the World Health Assembly global nutrition targets to which countries have declared their commitment. Furthermore, we need to strengthen our efforts to cope with extreme climatic events, violent conflicts, wars, and economic slowdowns and crises that continue to drive hunger in many parts of the world. Inequalities within country borders allow hunger and undernutrition to persist even in countries that appear to do well according to national averages. The number of people who are undernourished actually rose from 785 million in 2015 to 822 million in 2018. Download the PDF below to read the full report