The persistence of hunger in the 21st century is a shameful phenomenon that requires concerted action at the global level. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) estimates that there are about 925 million undernourished people in the world today. This represents 16 per cent of the world population, down from 18 per cent last year but still well above the 10 per cent target set by the first Millennium Development Goal. In sub-Saharan Africa 30 per cent of the population is undernourished. This is clearly a humanitarian and development disaster. It is also a challenge for world peace and security. We all remember the food riots of 2007–08 that rocked more than 20 countries. In an increasingly interdependent world, political instability in one part of the globe affects everybody else.
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