PRESS BRIEFING - WFP MAP THAT ILLUSTRATES GEOGRAPHY OF UNDERNOURISHMENT LAUNCHED TODAY

WFP MAP THAT ILLUSTRATES GEOGRAPHY OF UNDERNOURISHMENT LAUNCHED TODAY

A new map, that uses colour to illustrate relative levels of undernourishment throughout the world, was launched by World Food Programme (WFP) Executive Director, Catherine Bertini, at a Headquarters press conference this morning.  The map is called the "World Hunger Map". 

The WFP produced the map in an effort to draw attention to the severity of the world hunger situation, Ms. Bertini explained.  It uses different colours to indicate levels of undernourishment of a population.  Those parts of the map shaded red are places where more than 35 per cent of people are undernourished. In areas shaded orange, some 20 to 34 per cent of the population are categorized as undernourished.

Whilst most countries with severely undernourished populations were in Africa, Ms. Bertini continued, because of the large populations of Asian countries, there were more people undernourished in Asia than anywhere else.  In Latin America people had more access to food than in some other regions, but large numbers remained undernourished.

Some 830 million people were chronically undernourished worldwide, according to the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO), which provided figures for the map, Ms. Bertini said. 

"Chronically undernourished, because from generation to generation to generation, people do not have enough food to eat", she said.  A pregnant woman without enough food for herself would give birth to a small and weak child.  If that child did not have enough food throughout his or her childhood, he or she would not become a strong, healthy adult, and, at twenty, would not be able to easily compete in a job that required hard labour or great amounts of energy.  And hunger affects not only physical development but also intellectual development, she added.  

Designed as an educational tool, the World Hunger Map highlights the fact that too many people were still desperately hungry, Ms. Bertini said.  Using the map as a source for discussion, primary school children in Ms. Bertini's hometown of Cortland, New York, learned that, around the world, some

11,000 children die daily from undernourishment.  To visualize that number of deaths, the children cut out 11,000 ribbons, and then tied them to the fence of their school as a reminder of these deaths from undernourishment.

While news headlines focused on "hotspot" situations, ending hunger everywhere was the WFP's mission, Ms. Bertini continued.  The Programme sought to reach people throughout the world living amidst civil strife, droughts and floods.  Last year, the United Nations Secretary-General had asked the Executive Director to be his Special Envoy for the drought in the Horn of Africa.  In that region, the United Nations, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), donors and host governments had made major efforts to ensure that everyone had received food enough to survive.

Unfortunately, the combination of poverty and disaster -- whether man-made or natural -- left little opportunity for people to build the resources needed to end hunger, Ms. Bertini explained.  Although the WFP would do its best in the

coming year to decrease the numbers of hungry people, in the Sudan, Indonesia and Afghanistan, for example, those numbers might increase.  The WFP would also be working in countries such as in Angola, Colombia, Guinea, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Sierra Leone and certain parts of the Balkans, where conflicts and natural disasters required significant additional food aid.

"Putting an end to those disasters meant finding political solutions", Ms. Bertini said.  As the largest food aid agency in the world, it was the WFP's mission not only to reach people cut off from food aid but also to convince donors that more needed to be done to support countries with undernourished populations.

A correspondent asked if the situation in the Horn of Africa had improved since the signing of the recent ceasefire agreement.  The situation had improved there, Ms. Bertini responded.  The major difference brought on by the end of the war was that it had freed up trucks and other logistical support for food distribution.  The significant donations received for the needs in the Horn of Africa also helped.  Food aid was still needed, but there was a real shortage also of non-food items, such as water purification and drilling equipment and livestock production assistance.  Basic agricultural, water and sanitation and health-related items were still critical for the region.

Asked how recent the figures used in creating the map were, Ms. Bertini explained that the figures were from 1997.  While some improvements would have occurred in some countries since that time, generally speaking, the map still served the point.

In response to a question on the role of NGOs in ending hunger, Ms. Bertini said that those organizations were extremely helpful.  However, if any one organization could end hunger it would have been ended by now.  Despite the fact that the WFP handled about 40 per cent of food aid worldwide, in 1999 it reached only 89 million people, or just over 10 per cent of the total number of people who were desperately hunger.  "It is absolutely critical that many organizations participate in this effort", she said.  The WFP worked with some

one thousand NGOs and had memoranda of understanding with some 12 major international NGOs.  In many areas, the WFP brought in food, based on its assessments, and NGOs distributed the food.  

In response to a question about the situation post-1997 in Iraq, Ms Bertini explained that the latest report by the FAO and WFP showed there was a significant level of under- and over-nutrition in Iraq.  The largest population of concern, and the most vulnerable, continued to be children under the age of five.  The food distribution programme in Iraq, supported by the Oil-For-Food Programme, was designed for every individual in the country.  As in any other country, Iraq did have a group of people living under the social safety net without enough food to eat.  Although the WFP had a programme specifically for those people, it was never fully funded. 

Asked to comment on the present situation in Afghanistan, Ms. Bertini said that that country was plagued by many problems, including war and drought.  The drought affecting the region was significant, and had exacerbated problems in Afghanistan caused by warring factions, as well as general distribution problems.  There was significant concern for people living in many parts of Afghanistan. 

Poverty was the major cause of hunger, Ms. Bertini explained in response to a question about causes.  Some 830 million people, who were desperately and chronically hungry, were hungry because they were poor.  While many people were living in conflict situations and were affected by natural disasters, poverty was the foremost cause of hunger.  Natural disasters affected more people than civil strife, but the frustrating thing was that something could be done about man-made disasters. 

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