War, not weather, top cause of hunger-UN agency
02.07.2009, 15:56
War has replaced weather and natural disasters as the world's leading cause of hunger, the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) said on Monday.
Wellness hétvége, Üdülési csekk
More than 35 percent of food emergencies between 1992 and 2003 were due to conflict and economic problems, compared with around 15 percent from 1986 to 1991, the FAO said in a report presented at a food security meeting.
Africa, hit the hardest, is home to 23 of the 36 nations the FAO said faced serious food shortages. It was followed by Asia and Latin America.
"Armed conflicts are now the leading cause of world hunger with the effects of HIV/AIDs and climate change not far behind," the FAO said in a statement.
It added war "contributes to the spread of HIV/AIDS through displacement, rape or commercial sex."
Most of the countries where more than 35 percent of the population suffers from "under-nourishment" faced armed conflict during the 1990s, the FAO said.
"The impact ... is not limited to the conflict area. It diverts resources from national development programmes and weakens government capacity, indirectly affecting the provision of services to the whole population," the FAO said.