Rome, Oct 16: Donations from the international community are failing to keep pace with the needs of the world's hungry, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) said today in a message to mark World Food Day.
The Rome-based agency said it faced the highest global food aid needs in its 40-year history despite the contributions of donor countries.
"It is simply unacceptable in this day and age that hunger and malnutrition remain the number one cause of death worldwide," said WFP director James T. Morris.
"Millions are counting on us to remind the world of their daily struggle, and the best way for them to be heard is for all of us to speak with one loud voice."
The UN agency said progress towards the goal of world leaders to halve the number of global hungry -- 800 million people -- by 2015, was being hampered by historically low levels of investment in agriculture.



"Clearly, no single organization can solve world hunger. Its causes are incredibly complex, and its solution requires more than food aid alone," said Morris.



"All of us -- individuals, businesses, non-governmental organizations and governments -- have a deep responsibility to join the campaign to end hunger."



The WFP is the world's largest humanitarian agency. It claims to have fed 72 million people in 82 countries in 2002.


Bureau Report