For the third consecutive year, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) announced an increase in the number of people suffering from hunger. In the case of Latin America and the Caribbean, 39,3 million people live undernourished in the region, an increase of 400 000 people since 2016.

According to the State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2018 (SOFI), globally almost 821 million people – approximately one in nine – were victims of hunger in 2017, an increase of 17 million in relation to the previous year.

“In the region we are stuck in the fight against hunger. In 2014, hunger affected 38,5 million and in 2017 it exceeded 39 million. These figures are a strong and clear call to redouble efforts at all levels,” said FAO’s Regional Representative, Julio Berdegué.

Berdegué explained that the increase in hunger at the regional level follows the global trend and moves us away from meeting the Sustainable Development Goal 2— Zero Hunger by 2030.

This year’s SOFI was developed by FAO together with the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the World Food Program (WFP) and the World Health Organization (WHO).

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