World food program (WFP): food insecurity in Syria reaches record levels
The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) Executive Director, David Beasley, appeals to the world to invest in the Syrian people and communities to get them on their feet and off food assistance.
Today, following 12 years of conflict, an economy crippled by runaway inflation, a currency that has collapsed to a record low and soaring food prices, 12 million people do not know where their next meal is coming from. Another 2.9 million people are at risk of sliding into hunger, meaning that 70% of the population may soon be unable to put food on the table for their families.
Beasley also said: “If we don’t address this humanitarian crisis in Syria, things are going to get worse than we can possibly imagine”. “Another wave of mass migration like the one that swept across Europe in 2015 – is that what the international community wants? If not, we must urgently seize this opportunity to avert the looming catastrophe and work together to bring peace and stability to the Syrian people.”
Food prices have increased nearly twelve-fold over the last three years. Syria now has the sixth highest number of food insecure people in the world, with 2.5 million people who are severely food insecure, and their lives are at risk without food assistance.
WFP is providing monthly assistance for nearly seven million people. This includes food ration distribution, prevention and treatment of acute malnutrition, school meals, cash-based transfers and support for livelihoods, resilience, and social safety nets.
