UN Secretary-General António Guterres has warned, in a call to all countries to transform food systems to speed up sustainable development. 

Up to 811 million people faced hunger in 2020 – as many as 161 million more than in 2019 – Mr. Guterres said, at the Pre-Summit of the UN Food Systems Summit in Rome beginning Monday. 

Pointing to the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the UN chief added that three billion people cannot afford to eat healthily. 

“We are seriously off track to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030”, Mr. Guterres, highlighting how “poverty, income inequality and the high cost of food” were responsible for these ills.

He added that climate change and conflict are “consequences and drivers of this catastrophe”. 

Imoh Edet reports.