NAIROBI, Dec. 7 (Xinhua) -- The African Union and UN agencies on Thursday called for urgent action to end the hunger crisis in Africa where nearly 282 million people, or 20 percent of the population, are undernourished.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the African Union Commission, the UN Economic Commission for Africa, and the World Food Program said in a joint report that the number of undernourished people has increased 57 million since the COVID-19 pandemic began.

"The call for greater action remains true given the projected lower rate of economic growth, high general and food price inflation, and rising borrowing costs on domestic and international markets since 2022," the agencies said in the report titled Africa Regional Overview of Food Security and Nutrition-Statistics and Trends 2023.

The report said the deterioration of the food security situation and the lack of progress toward the World Health Organization's global nutrition targets make it imperative for countries to step up their efforts to achieve a world without hunger and malnutrition by 2030.

It highlighted alarming statistics on food insecurity and malnutrition, underscoring the urgent need for comprehensive action.

The report was released during the UN COP28 climate change conference, highlighting the critical intersection of climate challenges and food insecurity in Africa. It found that the prevalence of stunting among children under five years of age was 30 percent in 2022, which remains high despite a substantial improvement during the past two decades.

The agencies said that the report's findings will trigger new momentum for agrifood systems transformation in Africa, creating more efficient, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable agrifood systems for people and the planet.

The agencies said the majority of Africa's population -- about 78 percent, or more than 1 billion people -- remain unable to afford a healthy diet, compared with 42 percent at the global level, and the number is rising. Enditem

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