(Image source from: oskole.sk)

The figure of ravenous people in the world has risen for the first time in more than a decade, according to United Nations report.

Nearly 38 million people are underfed in the world, rising from 777 million in 2015 to 815 million in 2016, the year which the latest statistics are available.

According to the UN's Sustainable Development Goals 2018 report, the struggle is now one of the main drivers of food insecurity in 18 countries. "After a prolonged decline, world hunger appears to be on the rise again. Conflict, drought, and disasters linked to climate change are among the key factors causing this reversal in progress," said the report. Ferocious conflicts likewise led to the forced displacement of a record high of 68.5 million in 2017.

The report further noting the exploding impact of intense events related to a changing climate, said economic losses attributed to disasters were estimated at over $300 billion in 2017, which is the considered as highest losses in recent years.
               Image source: The Hindu
The child marriages count has seen dropping in South Asia, by 40 percent from 2000 to 2017. But then, water stress levels for numerous countries in the region are above 70 percent indicating fast-approaching water inadequacy. More than nine out of 10 people living in urban areas around the world are breathing impure air, with southern Asia scoring the bottom in this area. While the electricity and sanitation score in South Asia are still miserable, the report states attempts are being made to close the disparity.

"With just 12 years left to the 2030 deadline, we must inject a sense of urgency," said UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in the foreword to the report. "Achieving the 2030 Agenda requires accelerated actions by countries along with collaborative partnerships among governments and stakeholders at all levels. This ambitious agenda necessitates profound change that goes beyond business as usual."

By Sowmya Sangam