A malnourished child is seen at a hospital in Hajjah province, Yemen, Oct. 1, 2018. (Xinhua/Mohammed Mohammed)
More than 820 million people do not have enough to eat. Meanwhile, 2 billion people are overweight or obese, UN chief said.
UNITED NATIONS, Oct. 11 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday called for efforts to transform food systems so that the ironic situation of the coexistence of hunger and waste of food can be mitigated.
He made the plea in a video message for World Food Day, which falls on Oct. 16.
World Food Day is a global call for zero hunger, for a world where nutritious food is available and affordable for everyone, everywhere. But today, more than 820 million people do not have enough to eat. Meanwhile, 2 billion people are overweight or obese, he said.
"It is unacceptable that hunger is on the rise at a time when the world wastes more than 1 billion tonnes of food every year."
Image taken on Feb. 11, 2014 of 26-year-old Gina showing her body with signs of obesity, in Tijuana, northwest Mexico. (Xinhua/Guillermo Arias)
He added that climate change is an increasing threat to food security.
"It is time to change how we produce and consume, including to reduce greenhouse emissions. Transforming food systems is crucial for delivering all the Sustainable Development Goals."
Guterres said he would convene a Food Systems Summit in 2021. "As a human family, a world free of hunger is our imperative."
World Food Day is celebrated every year on Oct. 16, the date of the founding of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations in 1945. ■
