Global Hunger Index Report Reveals High Hunger Level in Liberia
MONROVIA – Welthungerhilfe and Concern Worldwide recently launched the 2021 Global Hunger Index (GHI) Report in Liberia under the theme: African Year of Nutrition: the role of Leadership for A food and Nutrition Secured Liberia – from information to action. The Global Hunger Index is a comprehensive tool designed to measure and track global hunger levels in the world.
The report is released every year by the Alliance 2015 (Welthungerhilfe and Concern Worldwide) to provide a means of comparing the levels of hunger between countries/regions and to draw attention calls to the areas of the world in greatest need of additional resources to eliminate hunger. The 2021 GHI Report was launched on 7th April at the Royal Grand Hotel in Monrovia. The report ranks Liberia 110th amongst 135 countries that were assessed. Despite government and developing partner’s efforts, the report described the hunger situation in Liberia as ‘serious’ with a score of 33.3 points out of 100, implying more work needs to be done to improve food and nutrition security in Liberia.
However, since 2000, the GHI score of Liberia has decreased by 30.8 percent. Liberia’s GHI score trend shows that although the score had steadily declined between 2000 and 2012 (by 13.1 points), it has only decreased by 1.7 points since, meaning that progress in the fight against hunger is slowing or even stalling.
According to the 2021 GHI Report, 3.4% of children under five in Liberia are wasted, 29.8% are stunted, 8.5% die before their fifth birthday and 38.9% of the population in Liberia is undernourished.
The launch of the 2021 GHI Report calls for joint planning, increased investment in food security and nutrition programmes, and strategic actions of all stakeholders towards reaching the UN Sustainable Development Goal of Zero Hunger by 2030. The report projects that the world as a whole – and 47 countries in particular – will fail to achieve a low level of hunger by 2030. Also, according to the report, more than half the people facing undernourishment live in countries impacted by conflict, violence, or categrised as fragile.
The progress in the last decade has slowed and in order to strengthen the pace of change for vulnerable Liberians suffering from malnutrition, Concern Worldwide and Welthungerhilfe are recommending the actions below:
The report’s recommendations:
The Liberian Government should actively follow up on the UN Food Systems Summit by addressing the structural challenges embedded in our food systems—including inequities and threats to social cohesion, health, environment, and climate;All actors should work to enhance the resilience of local food systems to simultaneously address the impacts of conflict and climate change and to ensure food and nutrition security;All actors should base their actions on a thorough understanding of the local context, and strengthen inclusive, locally-led initiatives;
Concern Worlwide and Welthungerhilfe Liberia’s recommendations:
Strengthen multi-sectoral coordination on Food and Nutrition Security is urgently needed with a role for different government Ministries, donors, UN, INGOs, and local organizations.Improve the enabling environment for access to finance by rural communities, especially women.Concern Worldwide and Welthungerhilfe support Village Savings and Loans Associations, the establishment of mother groups, and a gender transformative approachs aimed at changing attitudes to women in the community.Concern and Welthungerhilfe agrees to collaborate with the Government of Liberia on “1 House 1 Home Garden” campaign, and support food price tracking and publishing for key markets to inform smallholders.To continue working with national implementing partners on strategic accountability-focused advocacy.
To read more about the 2021 Global Hunger Index report and to access a copy click visit: www.globalhungerindex.org
