FAO: 730 Million People Suffer from Hunger Worldwide

On the occasion of the 44th World Food Day, which was celebrated on October 16, Qu Dongyu, Director General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), said that “730 million people worldwide suffer from hunger, with at least 2.8 billion of the world’s inhabitants lacking access to proper nutrition.”

The theme of Food Day 2024 is “Right to Foods for a Better Life and a Better Future.” This year’s theme prompts reflection on the importance of transforming global food systems to make them more inclusive, resilient, and sustainable. Millions of people around the world continue to suffer from hunger and malnutrition, and climate change, conflict, and inequality continue to exacerbate the problem. The most vulnerable communities suffer most often, but each of us can make a difference by making more informed and sustainable food choices.

In his message, Pope Francis also emphasized the need to protect the most vulnerable communities: “The 44th World Food Day calls us to reflect on the right to food for a better life and future. This is a priority because it satisfies one of the fundamental human needs, namely nutrition, in order to live according to adequate qualitative and quantitative standards that guarantee the dignified existence of the human person.” These are the words Pope Francis’s message to FAO Director-General Qu Dongyu begins with. The Pontiff’s message was read by Monsignor Fernando Chica Arellano, Permanent Observer of the Holy See to FAO, during the World Food Forum held from October 14 to 18 in Rome, Italy.

According to Pope Francis, “however, we see that this right is often weakened and not applied justly, with the harmful consequences that this entails. In order to advance the right to food, FAO strongly suggests that consideration be given to transforming food systems to take into account the plurality and diversity of nutritious, accessible, healthy, and sustainable foods.” The Pontiff emphasized that “in order to do this, it is necessary not to forget the social and cultural dimension.” In this context, according to His Holiness, “the principles of subsidiarity and solidarity” are important.

“Humanity, wounded by so many injustices, urgently needs effective measures to lead a better life, acting together, animated by the same spirit of fraternity,” knowing “that this planet that God has given us must be a garden open to peaceful coexistence,” wrote Pope Francis, who is looking closely at integral ecology, which is capable of “taking into account the needs of each person and of all people.” Therefore, it is important to continue the task so that “everyone can have food in sufficient quantity and quality for themselves and their family, so that everyone can lead a healthy life.”

For his part, on the sidelines of the Rome Forum, Monsignor Chica Arellano said that the only weapon against hunger is sharing: “Unfortunately, we are very rich in rhetoric but poor in deeds and gestures. We need concrete initiatives from the political world,” the Holy See’s permanent observer to FAO told reporters.

World Food Day is a global event that puts food security and the fight against hunger at the center. Established by FAO in 1979, the day aims to raise awareness of one of the most pressing issues of our time: ensuring equitable and sustainable access to food for all.

And on the day of the World Food Forum meeting in Rome, the Italian National Institute of Statistics (ISTAT) published figures showing that in Italy in 2023, more than 2.2 million families, or 8.4% of the total number of Italian families, were living in “absolute poverty.” Overall, ISTAT said in a statement, in Italy, a European country of 59 million people, “nearly 5.7 million people live in absolute poverty, representing 9.7% of the total population.”