UN: New famine threat

UN: The World Food Program (WFP) executive director warned the G-8 ministers, who are holding a meeting in Italy, about the lack of resources to face the critical conditions of the poor and the hungry.

In a message to the group of the Eight (G-8) finance ministers, who are holding a two-day meeting in the Italian city of Lecce, Josette Sheeran said the lack of funds has reached its highest level in 20 years. The official warned that the poor are threatened by one of the greatest crisis of our times.

To support that opinion, Sheeran said one out of six people in the world suffers hunger, one child dies every six seconds and 80 percent of the sub-Saharan African regional countries pay for food at higher prices than in 2008.

The world is on the verge of a serious humanitarian crisis, said the WFP executive director, who recalled that this UN branch depends entirely on voluntary donations to accomplish its task of aiding the hungry of the world.

United Nations, Prensa Latina