Hunger is spreading rapidly as families throughout the world face sometimes severe food shortages. The war in Ukraine has sent prices spiralling and diverted funding from what are increasingly seen as the forgotten crises. Covid, climate change and conflict are pushing people closer to starvation.

Severe drought is pushing 18 million people across the Sahel region to the brink of starvation. With the failure of four rainy seasons in the Horn of Africa, there is nothing left to eat. Without extra funding, international agencies like the United Nations will have to cut aid programmes. At a time when aid spending needs to be increasing, countries like the United Kingdom are slashing aid budgets and diverting existing funding from humanitarian support.

“Christian World Service has had to launch an appeal for East Africa alongside our appeals for Afghanistan, Syrian refugees, Ukraine and the Rohingya. A donation to any of these appeals could be lifesaving for a family with nothing to eat,” says Murray Overton, National Director.

Last month the New Zealand Government released its annual budget, signalling an increase in next year’s aid vote that should push the total allocation over $1 billion for the first time. Inflation will have an impact, but the percentage of aid to Gross National Income is expected to reach 0.28 percent in this financial year up from a low of 0.23 percent in 2017. Next year’s budget includes an additional line of $200,000 for climate financing, but little new funding to address the deepening hunger caused by increasingly complex humanitarian crises.

As part of the Big Hearts campaign, CWS has been calling for an increase in Official Development Assistance or government aid to match the 0.7 percent commitment made by successive New Zealand Governments at the United Nations.

In a briefing to the Security Council last month, United Nations Secretary General António Guterres responded to the rise in hunger. “When war is waged, people go hungry,” he said.

An estimated 49 million people in 43 countries are one-step away from famine on the Integrated Food Security Classification System. Political solutions to end conflicts and prevent new ones are urgent he added, making the case for Ukraine, an important link in the global food chain. He asked members to increase funding to humanitarian appeals to prevent mass hunger.

In April, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute reported global military expenditure last year reached a staggering US $2,113 billion, a new global record.

Donations for humanitarian appeals can be made at: www.cws.org.nz/ or on 0800 74 73 72.