The United Nations launches an appeal to save 30 million children suffering from malnutrition

Geneva-Sana

The United Nations has launched an appeal to raise funds “before it is too late” to help 30 million severely malnourished children in several countries affected by the global food crisis.

"More than 30 million children in several countries suffer from wasting - that is, acute malnutrition - and eight million of these children suffer from severe wasting, the most fatal form of undernutrition," Agence France-Presse quoted a joint statement issued by five United Nations agencies yesterday. ".

The affected countries are Afghanistan, Burkina Faso, Chad, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Haiti, Kenya, Madagascar, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen.

According to the five agencies, the massive rise in food prices has exacerbated food shortages and hindered access to basic foodstuffs at reasonable prices. Conflicts, climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic have exacerbated the situation.

Qu Dongyu, Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), warned that this situation will deteriorate further in 2023, and therefore the agencies call on the United Nations to increase investments, to support its efforts in order to meet the “unprecedented needs resulting from this growing crisis before it is too late.” .

"Wasting is a source of suffering for the child, and in severe cases it can lead to death or permanent damage to the growth and development of children and a weakening of the immune system," said Catherine Russell, Executive Director of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF).

For his part, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus stressed the urgent need for urgent support for the most affected countries, to protect the lives and health of children.

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