Topline
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is fueling a “catastrophic” wave of malnutrition among young children, the United Nations’ children’s agency agency warned on Tuesday, urging governments to do more as war between two agricultural powerhouses, a worsening climate crisis and the Covid-19 pandemic strains already fragile food supplies.
The war in Ukraine is affecting global food security.
Key Facts
War in Ukraine is driving up the price of “life-saving treatment” for children suffering from severe wasting, a life-threatening form of malnutrition that compromises the immune system, Unicef warned in a new report.
The cost of treatment—a nutrient- and energy-rich paste—is set to surge by up to 16% over the next six months due to a “sharp rise in the cost of raw ingredients,” the agency said, a result of war in Ukraine adding to existing stresses from the pandemic and drought in some areas.
Around 13.6 million children under the age of five are suffering from severe wasting globally, Unicef said, with at least 10 million of these not having access to the most effective treatment.
India is by far the worst hit country according to Unicef estimates, with around 5.8 million children under the age of five affected by severe wasting, followed by Indonesia (813,000), Pakistan (679,000), Nigeria (483,000) and Bangladesh (328,000).
Rising costs could leave an additional 600,000 children without access to treatment, the agency said.
The costs for shipping and delivery—industries hit hard by pandemic disruptions—are also likely to remain high, Unicef said.
Crucial Quote
“The world is rapidly becoming a virtual tinderbox of preventable child deaths and child suffering from wasting,” Unicef Executive Director Catherine Russell said in a statement. “There is simply no reason why a child should suffer from severe wasting – not when we have the ability to prevent it,” she added, urging governments to ramp up aid for wasting.
Big Number
$300 million. That’s how much money it would take to reach every child with severe wasting in need of help, Unicef said. The figure is a mere fraction—0.1%—of total overseas development assistance in one year, the agency added.
What To Watch For
Strained supply chains and reduced funding. Aid for wasting is “woefully low” and “predicted to decline sharply in coming years.” Unicef warned, with little hope of recovering to pre-pandemic levels before 2028. The war in Ukraine is also expected to impact global food security in the near future, compounding issues from climate change and the pandemic. Ukraine is a major corn producer and, together with Russia, produces nearly one-third of the world’s wheat exports and 60% of the world’s sunflower oil. The war has sparked an internal food crisis within Ukraine and obviously affected its agricultural capacity. Russia, meanwhile, has limited exports and is one of the world’s top exporters of fertilizer. In response to the insecurity, other countries like India have banned their own food exports in an effort to manage supplies and prices.
Further Reading
Water Emerges As Weapon Of War In Ukraine And Beyond (Forbes)
War-Fueled Global Hunger Catastrophe On The Way With Solutions Tough To Come By (Forbes)
