More than 11 million people in Latin America are “marching on the brink of hunger” due to economic conditions exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic, warned the head of the UN food agency, David Beasley.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has just been devastating in Latin America, where economic storm clouds were already mounting,” Beasley said in a statement released by the World Food Program (WFP) on Wednesday after his trip to Ecuador. and Panama. “Families struggle to buy basic products like food and medicine, as livelihoods are destroyed and the number of jobless people in the region reaches 44 million.”
“We have seen a substantial increase in more than 11 million people marching to the brink of hunger,” he said in a video recorded in Ecuador during his trip.
Before setting out on the trip, Beasley told CBS News that Latin America is a “time bomb.” He underscored that point when he returned, arguing that WFP needs $ 328 million in additional funds to support relief and recovery operations in the region.
WFP spokeswoman Shaza Moghraby shared Beasley’s concerns and told CBS News that “The visit confirmed our concerns about the profound impact the pandemic will have on the lives of millions of people and the consequences this may have on stability. region of”. “
Latin America and the Caribbean are expected to see a 269% increase in the number of people with “severe food insecurity” in the coming months, according to an analysis presented this week by WFP. That means 16 million people won’t know where their next meal will come from, compared to 4.3 million a year ago.
“As coronavirus cases skyrocket, Latin America has become the region most affected by COVID-19 globally, accounting for more than a quarter of the world’s cases,” WFP said. “The health pandemic is fueling hunger and food insecurity, which risks fueling conflict and political unrest and forcing vulnerable families to migrate.”
Beasley also warned that the situation will likely be exacerbated by a active hurricane season.
“You will have political destabilization, massive migration, economic deterioration, disruption of the supply chain, and many people will starve to death in addition to COVID,” he said.
“You can’t deal with COVID-19 alone or starvation by itself,” he added. “They must be dealt with together. If we do it right, we can save lives. If we don’t do it right, people will die.”
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