Pakistan slips to 26.1 in Global Hunger Index score; ranks 99th among 121 countries

Islamabad [Pakistan]: Pakistan score’s on Global Hunger Index (GHI) has dropped from 38.1 in 2006 to 26.1 in 2022, revealing the extent of the crisis that the gripped the country and its people, Dawn reported.

The Pakistan chapter of the Global Hunger Index (GHI) released the data on Tuesday. The GHI ranked Pakistan at 99th position out of 121 countries surveyed.

The GHI, in a statement, said armed conflicts, climate change, and the novel coronavirus pandemic combined to force as many as 828 million peo­ple to go hungry, Dawn reported.

“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,” the GHI statement added.

The GHI is a pre-reviewed annual report, jointly published by Welthungerhilfe and Concern Worldwide which aims to raise awareness of the struggle against hunger.

Aisha Jamshed, country director of Welthungerhilfe, said her organisation worked to assist food-insecure communities and build resilience in cooperation with the civil society, government and private sector.

Shafat Ali, director, Local Government and Community Development Department (LGCDD), Punjab, said he highlighted the issue to ensure citizens’ participation, action, and oversight, and consider the local context in the transformation of food systems, according to Dawn.

Stakeholders at all governance levels were urged to harness local voices and capacities.
Communities, civil society, small producers, farmers, and indigenous groups with their local knowledge and lived experiences should shape how access to nutritious food is governed, the report added.