STWR - Share The World's Resources

A new study by the U.S.-based International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) indicates that a vast majority of the world's poor will likely continue to suffer from hunger in the next eight years.

15th Oct 07, Haider Rizvi, OneWorld US

According to IFPRI's Global Hunger Index for this year, most countries will not reach the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) to eliminate extreme poverty and hunger if progress in many parts of the world continues at current rates.

Agreed by world leaders at a UN summit here in 2001, the MDGs include a 50 percent cut in poverty and hunger; universal primary education; reduction of child mortality by two thirds; cuts in maternal mortality by 75 percent; and the reversal of the spread of HIV/AIDS; all by 2015.

Prepared with the help of two other groups, the German Agro-Action and Concern Worldwide, the IFPRI Index assesses whether developing countries are on track to reach MDG targets.

IFPRI researchers say while Latin America, the Caribbean, and East Asia-Pacific seem to be on track to reach the MDGs targets related to hunger and child mortality, most countries in Africa continue to lag behind.

In sub-Saharan Africa, many countries are particularly off-track. Of the 42 countries ranked, 38 are off-track regarding child mortality, 35 are not on track when it comes to reducing child malnutrition, and 27 are off-track to reduce the proportion of people who are calorie deficient.

"Because hunger has many faces, the Global Hunger Index uses a multidimensional approach that simultaneously captures various aspects of hunger and undernutrition," explained Doris Wiesmann, the IFPRI researcher who developed the Index.

"By combining three indicators into one index and ranking countries accordingly, the Index gives us a very comprehensive picture of hunger in developing and transitional countries," he said.

This year, the Global Hunger Index assesses whether developing countries are on track to reach MDG targets that relate to the three Index indicators -- the proportion of people who are calorie deficient, child malnutrition, and child mortality.

Worldwide, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo experienced the greatest setbacks towards achieving the Global Hunger Index target for 2015, followed by Swaziland, Liberia, and North Korea.

"Despite these negative setbacks, there is good news," said Wiesmann. "Every region of the world is experiencing some progress. In sub-Saharan Africa, for example, Mozambique, Ghana, and Malawi have made considerable progress towards reducing hunger."

Ethiopia and India have also made notable progress, and are very close to being on track to achieve the Global Hunger Index target based on the MDGs by 2015.

The Index ranks countries for six different years, beginning in 1981. The most recent round was calculated for 2004 and ranks 118 countries. Nine of the ten countries with the highest levels of hunger are in Sub-Saharan Africa.

"We are now midway between the declaration and the deadline," said Weismann, in referring to the Millennium Declaration signed by the world leaders in 2001. "By calling attention to countries that are not on track, we hope the Index motivates their leaders to take increased action."

IFPRI researchers say even in those countries and regions where some progress is visible, there is need for new ways to fight poverty and hunger in rural areas.

Despite unprecedented economic growth and poverty reduction achieved during the past three decades, hunger still persist across Asia, according to IFPRI, which estimates there are still 600 million people who live in extreme poverty.

"Millions of people have been lifted out of poverty, but millions more remain," said the group's director-general Joachim von Braun. "New approaches to promote agricultural and rural growth, along with innovative social protection measures, are needed to help those who have been left behind."

IFPRI is due to convene a two-day international conference on poverty and hunger in Beijing starting next Wednesday.

Link to original source

Subscribe to this comment's feed

Write comment