…2023 GHI Report reveals
With just seven years to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, the 2023 Global Hunger Index (GHI) report has unearthed that nearly three-quarters of a billion people are unable to exercise their right to adequate food.
The GHI report stated that the Global Hunger Index projections at the current pace, 58 countries will not achieve low hunger by 2030.
The 2023 GHI report key messages to countries highlighted that projections suggest that none of the GHI indicators will meet the 2030 targets set by the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It adds that the prevalence of undernourishment, child stunting, child wasting, and child mortality are all off track.
The reports show that, after many years of advancement up to 2015, progress against hunger worldwide remains largely at a standstill as the effects of crises multiply and intensify, more and more people are experiencing severe hunger with the situation expected to worsen throughout the year with large groups such as women and youth are carrying the burden of the crises.
On Wednesday, April 17, 2024, the Alliance2015 partners, Welthungerhife and Concern Worldwide launched the 2023 GHI report at the Mamba Point Hotel in Monrovia. The GHI is an annual peer review report that comprehensively measures and tracks hunger at global and national scales, utilizing four key indicators: undernourishment, child stunting, child wasting, and child mortality.
The 2023 Edition marks the four years of GHI launch in Liberia, highlighting the enduring commitment of Welthungerhilfe and Concern Worldwide to combat hunger and malnutrition in Liberia.
Under the theme: “The power of youth in shaping food systems in Liberia,” the report was launched by President Joseph Nyuma Boakai. Also, present at the occasion were key officials from the ministries of Finance and Agriculture including the Country Director of Welthungerhilfe, Mr. Hubert Charles, Country Director of Concern Worldwide, Ciara Begley as well as development partners, international non-governmental organizations, entrepreneurs, civil society organizations, and other stakeholders from the agricultural and nutrition sectors.
The report’s findings paint a concerning picture, with Liberia ranking 117th out of 125 countries assessed in 2023, scoring 32.2% out of 100%. The data underscored the urgent need for concerted action to address the nation’s persistent challenges with hunger and malnutrition.
According to the report, in the face of crises, global progress on hunger has stalled in the world as such the the 2023 GHI shows that since 2015 little progress has been made in reducing hunger.
The 2023 GHI score for the world is 18.3, which is considered moderate is less than one point below the world’s 2015 GHI score of 19.1, indicating that progress on reducing hunger has largely stalled.
However, the report stated that though, between 2000, 2008, and 2015, the world made significant headway against hunger there has been an increase in the prevalence of undernourishment, one of the indicators used in the calculation of GHI scores, rising from a low of 7.5% in 2017 to 9.2% in 2022 therefore, the number of undernourishment people in the world has increased from 572 million to 735 million in 2023.
In his keynote address at the GHI launch, President Joseph Nyuma Boakai said the GHI scores are not just alarming but it doesn’t represent Liberia.
He said that Liberia has the opportunity to produce as such he assured partners and Liberians that the country will produce its food. “Agriculture is an area that will employ most of the young people in this country. The agro-industry and I can assure you in Gbarnga, Bong County we are going to put food processing there so that farmers can have access,” President Boakai said.
Meanwhile, he thanked development partners for being willing to work with the government.
He added that as the government talks about youth empowerment in agriculture the African Development Bank (AFDB) has just made available USD16 million to empower the young people.
“We are going to establish a poultry industry in this country. We cannot continue to be blessed with vast land, soil, water, and everything and still depend on imported food, this is something we have to do ourselves. Everybody has to be a farmer by themselves. If agriculture is the way forward, we are not going to produce new airplanes, cars for the world but we can feed ourselves and the world; we have the opportunity to do that,” the Liberian leader noted.
On the launch of the GHI Report, President Boakai thanked Welthungerhilfe and Concern Worldwide for publishing the GHI 2023 Report stressing that they are in the country and know the arrest agenda of his administration which first letter is agriculture.
He said they are going to involve the youth in agriculture programs and invest in them stressing that there has to be sustainable agriculture and that is the way Liberia is going to grow by implementing agriculture programs.
“Agriculture is not going to be a phone and people sitting down in offices. We did it before and we can do it again. In Agriculture is not going to be politics but production. We are going to make sure that those in it work. What we need is production cooperatives. Farmers who are producing cocoa have to work together; adding value is what we are going to do. We need to empower farmers and work together. We need to produce food to feed ourselves. Malnutrition of our children is not supposed to happen and we can change the story around I can assure you before the end of our six years the story is going to change,” President Boakai asserted.
For his part, Mr. Hurbert Charles, Welthungerhilfe Country Manager said Liberia’s scores of 32.2% indicate a serious level of hunger in the country. Mr. Charles said it is serious to note that Liberia has significantly decreased hunger levels since the year 2000 and since then progress has been slow in 2015.
He highlighted that they want to work together with the government of Liberia which is part of why they are publishing the the report to see how they can exonerate the pace of reducing malnutrition and hunger in Liberia.
“As in many countries, the prevalence of undernutrition has been on the rise in Liberia in recent years at a very high level. Liberia has the seventh-highest rate of undernourishment out of all the countries calculated in 2023. Also, child stunting has decreased slightly since 2015 and remains high,” Mr. Charles revealed.
He mentioned that food, security, and hunger are formidable barriers faced by youth during a critical development period of their lives. He asserted that there is a situation of hunger, malnutrition, child stunting, child wasting, and child mortality in Liberia and they are working with all stakeholders and other relevant partners to address the issues which is the most important thing they want to do presently.
