Around 52 million in NENA suffering chronic malnutrition - FAO

NEW YORK - 9 May 2019: Hunger continues to rise as conflicts and protracted crises have worsened in the Near East and North Africa region (NENA), which is likely to affect food security for years to come, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has warned.

"Conflicts and civil instability have long-lasting impacts on the food and nutrition security of both affected and surrounding countries in the regions”, Abdessalam Ould Ahmed, Assistant Director-General and NENA Representative of the (FAO) said.

More than two-thirds of hungry people in the region live in conflict-affected countries, threatening efforts to achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, including the key goal of Zero Hunger, Ould Ahmed added.

FAO’s Regional Overview of Food Security and Nutrition in the Near East and North Africa underscores that since 2011, 52 million people across the region now suffer from chronic undernourishment – with stunting, wasting and undernutrition amplified by fighting.

The report highlights that as the region hosts the highest obesity rates, it puts pressure on people’s health, national health systems and economies. Addressing this means raising public awareness and ensuring access to healthy nutritious food.