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Politics News

Liberia moves 4 steps in Global Hunger Index

Welthungerhilfe (WHH) and partner Concern Worldwide have launched the Global Hunger Index (GHI) for 2018, covering 119 countries around the world with Liberia positively moving upward to four positions.

According to the report, Liberia in 2017 was amongst eight countries that suffered from alarming hunger levels thus, obtaining the rank of 112th out of 119 countries with 35.3 out of 100. But this year, the story for Liberia changed positively with an upward gain of four positions.

“This has put the country at 108th position out of 119 countries with 33.3 out of 100.” This score according to the GHI calculation, has changed hunger severity status in Liberia from alarming level to serious.However, a press release from Welthungerhilfe says even though this result sounds good as compared to last years, it is significant for Liberia to maintain the gains.

According to USAID office of food for peace and food security desk review for Liberia (2016–2020), significant disparities in food insecurity can be found throughout here, with some disparities in malnutrition prevalence as well.The 2018 Global Hunger Index spotlights places across the world where action to address hunger is most needed. The GHI 2018 is the thirteenth in an annual series that presents a multidimensional measure of global, regional, and national hunger.

It reveals a distressing gap between the current rate of progress in the fight against hunger and undernutrition and the rate of progress needed to eliminate hunger and alleviate human suffering.The World Food Day 2018 theme: “Rising Hunger Figures and call on Countries and other Stakeholders to get back on track to Achieving Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 2: Zero Hunger” aligns with this year’s GHI call for action against hunger worldwide.

Welthungerhilfe is answering to these calls in Liberia with the implementation of its core mandate “Sustainable Food and Nutrition Security for the most vulnerable” in western Liberia specifically, Bomi, Grand Cape Mount and Montserrado Counties through support to individual farmers, vulnerable households and communities and south-eastern Liberia (Grand Gedeh, Rivercess, Grand Kru, Sinoe and River Gee) through activities on vegetable production and consumption, backyard gardening, nutrition awareness, village saving and loan association (VSLA) and hygiene promotion in schools and communities.

The release says WHH has been in Liberia since 2003, working in partnership with government line ministries (MFDP, MoA, MoH, MoPW), local NGOs and internationally recognized organizations promoting agriculture, food and nutrition security actions integrated with other programmes on livelihoods, climate change, infrastructure, WASH and advocacy for farmers’ lands.

In the last 12 months, the organization has increased its engagement in Southeast Liberia to meet up with growing challenges in that region of the country. These actions are part of the organization’s global strategy to fight hunger and strengthen farming families in regions mostly affected by hunger.

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The GHI is released every year to provide means of comparing the levels of hunger between countries and regions and made attention call to areas of the world in greatest need of additional resources to eliminate hunger. It is a comprehensive tool designed to measure and track global hunger levels.

Countries scores for GHI 2018 are calculated based on a formula that captures three dimensions of hunger – insufficient caloric intake, child undernutrition, and child mortality, using four component indicators: Undernourishment, Child Wasting, Child Stunting and Child Mortality.In 2015 the world’s countries committed to achieving zero hunger by 2030 but this goal seems a difficult one with the results so far.

Chief Executive Officer Mathias Mogge, notes: “Approximately 124 million people suffer acute hunger, a striking increase from 80 million two years ago, while the reality of hunger and undernutrition continues to have a massive impact on the next generation.”

According to the Welthungerhilfe CEO, about 151 million children are stunted and 51 million children are wasted across the globe, adding hard-won gains are being further threatened by conflict, climate change, poor governance, and a host of other challenges.“Despite evidence showing that real progress is possible, the root causes and complex realities of hunger are not being adequately tackled.” Press Release

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The New Dawn is Liberia’s Truly Independent Newspaper Published by Searchlight Communications Inc. Established on November 16, 2009, with its first hard copy publication on January 22, 2010. The office is located on UN Drive in Monrovia Liberia. The New Dawn is bilingual (both English & French).
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