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WASHINGTON, Oct. 19 (UPI) -- With the United States set to join the European Union and Canada in reopening its borders for vaccinated travelers in November, people in countries with limited access to COVID-19 immunizations face significant hurdles that federal officials should address quickly, migration experts said Tuesday.

Nearly 60 countries, mostly in Africa and the Middle East, had not been able to vaccinate more than 10% of their population by September, according to a World Health Organization report. The Our World in Data project at the University of Oxford predicted that most African countries will miss the WHO's goal to vaccinate 40% of the population by the end of the year.

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Opening U.S. to vaccinated travelers exacerbates global inequality, experts say

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WASHINGTON, Oct. 19 (UPI) -- With the United States set to join the European Union and Canada in reopening its borders for vaccinated travelers in November, people in countries with limited access to COVID-19 immunizations face significant hurdles that federal officials should address quickly, migration experts said Tuesday.

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Newsela is an Instructional Content Platform that supercharges reading engagement and learning in every subject.

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There was a dramatic worsening of world hunger in 2020, the United Nations said today - much of it likely related to the fallout of COVID-19. While the pandemic's impact has yet to be fully mapped, a multi-agency report estimates that around a tenth of the global population - up to 811 million people - were undernourished last year. The number suggests it will take a tremendous effort for the world to honour its pledge to end hunger by 2030.

This year's edition ofThe State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World is the first global assessment of its kind in the pandemic era. The report is jointly published by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), the UN World Food Programme (WFP) and the World Health Organization (WHO).

Previous editions had already put the world on notice that the food security of millions - many children among them - was at stake. "Unfortunately, the pandemic continues to expose weaknesses in our food systems, which threaten the lives and livelihoods of people around the world," the heads of the five UN agencies write in this year's Foreword.

They go on to warn of a "critical juncture," even as they pin fresh hopes on increased diplomatic momentum. "This year offers a unique opportunity for advancing food security and nutrition through transforming food systems with the upcoming UN Food Systems Summit, the Nutrition for Growth Summit and the COP26 on climate change." "The outcome of these events," the five add, "will go on to shape the [...] second half of the UN Decade of Action on Nutrition" - a global policy commitment yet to hit its stride.
The numbers in detail
Already in the mid-2010s, hunger had started creeping upwards, dashing hopes of irreversible decline. Disturbingly, in 2020 hunger shot up in both absolute and proportional terms, outpacing population growth: some 9.9 percent of all people are estimated to have been undernourished last year, up from 8.4 percent in 2019.

More than half of all undernourished people (418 million) live in Asia; more than a third (282 million) in Africa; and a smaller proportion (60 million) in Latin America and the Caribbean. But the sharpest rise in hunger was in Africa, where the estimated prevalence of undernourishment - at 21 percent of the population - is more than double that of any other region.

On other measurements too, the year 2020 was sombre. Overall, more than 2.3 billion people (or 30 percent of the global population) lacked year-round access to adequate food: this indicator - known as the prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity - leapt in one year as much in as the preceding five combined. Gender inequality deepened: for every 10 food-insecure men, there were 11 food-insecure women in 2020 (up from 10.6 in 2019).

Malnutrition persisted in all its forms, with children paying a high price: in 2020, over 149 million under-fives are estimated to have been stunted, or too short for their age; more than 45 million - wasted, or too thin for their height; and nearly 39 million - overweight. A full three-billion adults and children remained locked out of healthy diets, largely due to excessive costs. Nearly a third of women of reproductive age suffer from anaemia. Globally, despite progress in some areas - more infants, for example, are being fed exclusively on breast milk - the world is not on track to achieve targets for any nutrition indicators by 2030.
Other hunger and malnutrition drivers
In many parts of the world, the pandemic has triggered brutal recessions and jeopardized access to food. Yet even before the pandemic, hunger was spreading; progress on malnutrition lagged. This was all the more so in nations affected by conflict, climate extremes or other economic downturns, or battling high inequality - all of which the report identifies as major drivers of food insecurity, which in turn interact.

On current trends, The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World estimates that Sustainable Development Goal 2 (Zero Hunger by 2030) will be missed by a margin of nearly 660 million people. Of these 660 million, some 30 million may be linked to the pandemic's lasting effects.
What can (still) be done
As outlined in last year's report, transforming food systems is essential to achieve food security, improve nutrition and put healthy diets within reach of all. This year's edition goes further to outline six "transformation pathways". These, the authors say, rely on a "coherent set of policy and investment portfolios" to counteract the hunger and malnutrition drivers.

Depending on the particular driver (or combination of drivers) confronting each country, the report urges policymakers to:

Integrate humanitarian, development and peacebuilding policies in conflict areas - for example, through social protection measures to prevent families from selling meagre assets in exchange for food;

Scale up climate resilience across food systems - for example, by offering smallholder farmers wide access to climate risk insurance and forecast-based financing;

Strengthen the resilience of the most vulnerable to economic adversity - for example, through in-kind or cash support programmes to lessen the impact of pandemic-style shocks or food price volatility;

Intervene along supply chains to lower the cost of nutritious foods - for example, by encouraging the planting of biofortified crops or making it easier for fruit and vegetable growers to access markets;

Tackle poverty and structural inequalities - for example, by boosting food value chains in poor communities through technology transfers and certification programmes;

Strengthen food environments and changing consumer behaviour - for example, by eliminating industrial trans fats and reducing the salt and sugar content in the food supply, or protecting children from the negative impact of food marketing.

The report also calls for an "enabling environment of governance mechanisms and institutions" to make transformation possible. It enjoins policymakers to consult widely; to empower women and youth; and to expand the availability of data and new technologies. Above all, the authors urge, the world must act now - or watch the drivers of hunger and malnutrition recur with growing intensity in coming years, long after the shock of the pandemic has passed.
Read the full report here and the In-Brief report here. GLOSSARY : Moderate food insecurity Severe food insecurity Malnutrition: the condition associated with deficiencies, excesses or imbalances in the consumption of macro- and/or micronutrients. For example, undernutrition and obesity are both forms of malnutrition. Child stunting or wasting are both indicators for undernutrition. : running out of food; experienced hunger; at the most extreme, having to go without food for a day or more. : a state of uncertainty about the ability to get food; a risk of skipping meals or seeing food run out; being forced to compromise on the nutritional quality and/or quantity of food consumed. an uncomfortable or painful sensation caused by insufficient energy from diet. Food deprivation; not eating enough calories. Used here interchangeably with (chronic) undernourishment. Measured by the prevalence of undernourishment (PoU).

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UN report: Pandemic year marked by spike in world hunger

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There was a dramatic worsening of world hunger in 2020, the United Nations said today - much of it likely related to the fallout of COVID-19. While the pandemic's impact has yet to be fully mapped, a multi-agency report estimates that around a tenth of the global population - up to 811 million people - were undernourished last year.

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Millions of people in 43 countries are at risk of famine, the most extreme form of hunger that can result in death, according to the United Nations World Food Programme. And the director of the program says all it would take to prevent that from happening is a small fraction of U.S. billionaires' net worth.

David Beasley, director of the World Food Programme, told CNN's Becky Anderson on Tuesday that a "one-time" donation from the top 400 billionaires in the U.S. could help save the lives of 42 million people this year.

"The governments are tapped out. This is why and this is when ... the billionaires need to step up now on a one-time basis, $6 billion to help 42 million people that are literally going to die if we don't reach them," Beasley said. "It's not complicated."

ALARMING: 1 billionaire was created every 17 hours during Covid. 17,000 people also died of hunger at the same time. Is this acceptable??

I am not opposed to anyone making money, but I AM opposed to people dying of hunger when there's $400 trillion of wealth in the world today. pic.twitter.com/pxzswjkH5C
- David Beasley (@WFPChief) October 20, 2021

The World Food Programme blames the hunger crisis on a " toxic cocktail" of conflict, climate change, disasters, structural poverty and inequality. COVID-19, the program says, has only made it worse. On its website, the program says it needs $6 billion to avert worldwide famine this year.

Famine, according to the organization, is declared when at least 20% of households in an area face extreme food shortages, at least 30% of kids are malnourished, and the daily death from starvation rate is greater than 2 people per 10,000.

In Afghanistan alone, the United Nations has warned that more than one million children could die from malnutrition if the country doesn't receive humanitarian assistance soon. Roughly 95% of families in the nation do not have enough food, according to WFP. In Haiti, a country suffering from political, social and economic instability, roughly half of the population is food insecure, WFP says.

Beasley pointed toward Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos, the two richest people in the world, who could each individually help those in these situations with a small chunk of their overall change.

Musk, CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, has a net worth of $151 billion, according to Forbes, with his wealth increasing by more than 500% from January 2020 to March this year. Meanwhile, Amazon CEO Bezos has a net worth of $177 billion.

And their net worth is still growing. The week of October 11, Musk's net wealth increased by $12.7 billion due to Tesla stock gains, according to Forbes, and in just one day, on October 15, Bezos' generated $5.6 billion from Amazon stock. When news broke that Musk may have beat Bezos for the richest person title, he tweeted at Bezos a silver second place medal emoji.

Meanwhile, Beasley told CNN that millions of others are in a "heartbreaking" situation as they're "knocking on famine's door."

📈 Profits: UP
📈 Stock market gains: UP
📈 Total net worth: UP
📈 Number of billionaires: UP

Guess what else is going up? People on the brink of starvation! To all those who have done so well & been so successful, please come work with us to deliver food and hope. #FightFamine
- David Beasley (@WFPChief) October 22, 2021

He told CNN that even just a small amount from the billionaires' increase in wealth last year could make a huge difference in others' lives. Of the $65 billion that the Bezos fortune grew in the first year of the pandemic, Beasley is asking for 10%.

"I'm not asking them to do this every day, every week, every year," he said. "We have a one-time crisis: a perfect storm of conflict, climate change and COVID. ...Just help me with them one time."

If the world's top 400 billionaires chipped in, Beasley said, all it would take to prevent famine is .36% of their total net worth increases.

"The world's in trouble and you're telling me you can't give me .36% of your net worth increase to help the world in trouble, in times like this?" he said. "What if it was your daughter starving to death? What if it was your family starving to death? Wake up, smell the coffee, and help."

"My god, people are dying out there," Beasley said. "We have a vaccine for this. It's called money, food."

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Millions are at risk of starving to death - and just .36% of the world's top billionaires' net worth could help fix it, U.N. official says

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Millions of people in 43 countries are at risk of famine, the most extreme form of hunger that can result in death, according to the United Nations World Food Programme. And the director of the program says all it would take to prevent that from happening is a small fraction of U.S.

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Ending world hunger is one of the greatest challenges of our times. Across the globe, up to 783 million people do not have enough food and more than 40 million people in 51 countries are at ‘emergency’ or worse levels of hunger. Parts of Yemen, South Sudan, Ethiopia and Nigeria may be

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Eoin McSweeney and Adam Pourahmadi, CNN Business

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2% of Elon Musk’s wealth could help solve world hunger, says director of UN food scarcity organization

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A small group of ultra-wealthy individuals could help solve world hunger with just a fraction of their net worth, says the director of the United Nations’ World Food Programme.

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The Twitter showdown between Elon Musk and the head of the World Food Programme has made headlines around the world.

In October, David Beasley, head of the U.N. food agency, tweeted a cheeky congratulations to Musk for reportedly earning $36 billion in a single day. "1/6 of your one-day increase would save 42 million lives that are knocking on famine's door," he wrote.

A few days later, Musk tweeted: "If WFP can describe on this Twitter thread exactly how $6B will solve world hunger, I will sell Tesla stock right now and do it."

While Beasley quickly clarified that his earlier tweet referred to feeding "people on the brink of starvation" and not solving world hunger, he invited Musk to meet "anywhere-Earth or space" to discuss the potential donation.

So far, Musk has made no commitments to the agency. Still, the conversation prompts the question: How much of a dent would $6 billion make when it comes to feeding millions? After all, WFP raised $8.4 billion last year, yet the global food crisis has only worsened.

In fact, since Musk and Beasley first started their Twitter conversation, the total number of people at risk of famine has risen to 45 million, along with the cost to help them, which now stands at $7 billion, according to WFP.

"Tens of millions of people are staring into an abyss. We've got conflict, climate change and COVID-19 driving up the numbers of the acutely hungry," said Beasley in a statement this week.

We asked experts in humanitarian aid and global hunger to give their perspective on the $6 billion debate.

Donors should ask for details

Was it fair for Musk to ask WFP to explain how it planned to spend the $6 billion?

Yes, say the specialists we spoke to. "Although some may see the exchange as frivolous, Musk is right to expect WFP to have a plan for putting the money to good use," says Ian Mitchell, a senior fellow at the think tank Center for Global Development. "International organizations should have specific plans that are clear about the outcomes they will achieve."

WFP has compelling details to share about its track record

Researchers are confident that WFP, which received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2020 for its work, can offer a thorough answer to Musk's query.

"What WFP does, and is good at, is dealing with food crises, emergencies and, if it ever gets that bad, famines," says Steve Wiggins, a research fellow who focuses on humanitarian policy at the London-based Overseas Development Institute.

Last year, WFP said it helped provide emergency relief to 115.5 million people in 84 countries. It did so with a massive delivery fleet of 5,600 trucks, 30 ships and 100 planes owned and operated by WFP, which transports food, workers, storage supplies and other supplies needed to coordinate and execute the operation.

Its 60-year experience in delivering aid helps the agency reach some of the world's hardest-to-reach places. In a May study, Wiggins and Simon Levine, also of the Overseas Development Institute, looked at what was done to help people in the biggest, most-drawn-out conflicts over the last three decades - from the conflict in northern Uganda, which ended in 2006, to the current conflict in Afghanistan.

They concluded that WFP made a difference in these situations - but only up to a point. "The scary thing is that so little was done," says Levine - but when there was emergency relief, it came in the form of food aid, mostly from WFP.

This assistance, wrote the authors in the paper, "probably protected recipients from unacceptable hardship."

And what would $6 billion buy?

In response to Musk's request for details, Beasley tweeted him the math: "$.43 x 42,000,000 x 365 days = $6.6 billion."

That's how much it would cost to provide one meal a day for one year to this population in need, says WFP. The agency would deliver this "meal" in the form of food aid, cash or vouchers.

The food aid, says WFP, consists of commodities such as rice, maize and high-energy biscuits.

But there's more to food aid than a plate of food.

Keep in mind, says Levine, it's not entirely accurate to think of 43 cents as just the price of one meal per day per person for a year.

It's the per capita calculation that WFP has made of what it needs to pull off this operation, he adds. So in addition to the actual food, cash or vouchers, it would likely cover the cost of what it takes to make sure the aid is going to the communities that need it the most and monitoring to make sure the money is well spent.

When you look at the figures this way, says Mitchell, it makes you realize "just how little income the world's poorest have. Half a dollar per person per day can make the difference between life and death."

But there's another way to spend the hypothetical $6 billion

Some experts want to move away from delivering short-term emergency relief altogether. "WFP says they want to feed 42 million with a meal a day for 365 days," says Lindiwe Majele Sibanda, a professor, director and chair at the African Research Universities Alliance's Centre of Excellence in Food Security at the University of Pretoria in South Africa. "What about on Day 367?"

Sibanda argues handouts can make countries overly dependent on aid. Instead, she says, large donations should go toward long-term solutions that address the root causes of famine and hunger - for example, teaching farmers better techniques, encouraging average folks to grow nutrient-dense crops for themselves and to sell as well, and making sure countries have a stronger social safety net to meet food needs in times of crisis.

Such systemic changes will cost much more than $6 billion, or even the $8.4 billion WFP raised last year. "We've had governments [together] spending upward of $100 billion a year on extreme poverty and hunger, with everyone agreeing it's nowhere near what we need to tackle this problem," says Mitchell.

Nonetheless, $6 billion would be very, very helpful

Despite the debates over the best way to help people on the brink of famine, our sources all agree that $6 billion from Musk could do a lot of good.

For one, it's a pretty impressive amount. "$6 billion would be a very significant single-year charitable contribution for an individual, certainly one of the largest ever," says Mitchell - and targeting that sum to assist the world's poorest and hungriest "would likely make the biggest difference to human welfare."

Now, if other billionaires could get on the bandwagon, that would be great, says Levine. "If Jeff Bezos stumped up another $6 billion, that'd be $12 billion, and we could do twice as much."

Joanne Lu is a freelance journalist who covers global poverty and inequity. Her work has appeared in Humanosphere, The Guardian, Global Washington and War Is Boring. Follow her on Twitter: .

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How $6 billion from Elon Musk could feed millions on the brink of famine

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The Twitter showdown between Elon Musk and the head of the World Food Programme has made headlines around the world. In October, David Beasley, head of the U.N. food agency, tweeted a cheeky congratulations to Musk for reportedly earning $36 billion in a single day.

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Newsela - The relationship between hunger and war

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Today’s armed conflicts bring about mass starvation

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Almost 60 million children are deprived of food despite continent's economic growth.

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