Devex offices are closed this week for summer break. Instead of our regular Newswire, we are bringing you deep dives into some of this year's key development topics. Today, I look at how equipped the modern humanitarian system is to address rising hunger and malnutrition.
If you’ve been following my coverage here at Devex and my weekly newsletter, Devex Dish, you’ll know that it’s been a tough year for global hunger and malnutrition targets. Levels were already on the rise for several years — but lingering effects of the pandemic and now the war in Ukraine mean the most vulnerable suffer the most.
This year’s United Nations State of Food Insecurity and Nutrition in the World report brought the latest bleak numbers: In 2022, between 691 million and 783 million people were hungry, or 122 million more than in 2019 before the pandemic. Globally, 2.4 billion people, or 29.6% of the population, did not have regular access to food. Of those, an estimated 900 million faced severe food insecurity.
About the author
Teresa Welshtmawelsh
Teresa Welsh is a Senior Reporter at Devex. She has reported from more than 10 countries and is currently based in Washington, D.C. Her coverage focuses on Latin America; U.S. foreign assistance policy; fragile states; food systems and nutrition; and refugees and migration. Prior to joining Devex, Teresa worked at McClatchy's Washington Bureau and covered foreign affairs for U.S. News and World Report. She was a reporter in Colombia, where she previously lived teaching English. Teresa earned bachelor of arts degrees in journalism and Latin American studies from the University of Wisconsin.
