Africa: Five United Nations (UN) agencies demanded immediate action to protect millions of malnourished children in the 15 nations most seriously affected by the unprecedented food and nutrition crisis.

Acute malnutrition, also known as wasting, affects more than 30 million children under the age of five. This condition is a result of conflict, climate shocks, persisting COVID-19 pandemic effects, and rising living expenses.

Children with the condition have weakened immune systems and are at higher risk of dying from common childhood diseases. Eight million are severely wasted the deadliest form of undernutrition – meaning they are 12 times more likely to die than children who get enough to eat.

The appeal was issued by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the UN refugee agency UNHCR, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the World Food Programme (WFP) and the World Health Organization (WHO). They urged the international community to accelerate progress on the Global Action Plan on Child Wasting to prevent the growing crisis from becoming a tragedy.

Mr. Qu Dongyu, the FAO Director-General, warned that the situation is likely to deteriorate even further this year.

“We must ensure availability, affordability and accessibility of healthy diets for young children, girls, and pregnant and lactating women. We need urgent action now to save lives, and to tackle the root causes of acute malnutrition, working together across all sectors,” Mr. Dongyu remarked.

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