The Global Hunger Index on Tuesday ranked Pakistan 99th out of 121 countries, noting that while the country’s score has dropped from 38.1 in 2006 to 26.1 in 2022, hunger levels remain serious.
Under the Index, lower scores indicate lesser hunger, while higher ones indicate concerns that must be addressed. “The current edition of the GHI reveals that armed conflicts, climate change, and the coronavirus pandemic are intensifying each other; as a result, up to 828 million people were forced to go hungry,” read a statement issued by GHI Pakistan alongside the ranking.
“As things stand, 46 countries will not even achieve a low level of hunger by 2030, much less eliminate hunger entirely. In Africa, South of the Sahara and South Asia are once again the regions with the highest rates of hunger. South Asia, the region with the world’s highest hunger level, has the highest child stunting rate and by far the highest child wasting rate of any world region,” it added.
According to the Index, a score of 26.1 is considered serious.
The GHI is a peer-reviewed annual report, jointly published by Welthungerhilfe and Concern Worldwide. It aims to raise awareness and understanding of the global struggle against hunger. Unveiling the 2022 rankings, Aisha Jamshed, country director of Welthungerhilfe, said her organization worked to assist food insecure communities and build resilience in cooperation with civil society, government and the private sector.
During the launch event, experts, government representatives, and civil society leaders deliberated on three main policy recommendations of the 2022 Global Hunger Index. Highlighting the benefits of inclusive governance and accountability in transforming food systems, they also emphasized the need to raise citizens’ awareness of their entitlements and pathways to food and nutrition security. Similarly, stakeholders at all governance levels were called on to harness local voices and capacities, involving communities, civil society, small producers, farmers, and indigenous groups, to shape the governance of access to nutritious food.