Today's "Global Report on Food Crises" (GRFC), led by the Food Security Information Network (FSIN), says that 281.6 million people across 59 countries are now experiencing acute hunger - 24 million additional people over last year.
Reacting to the report, Oxfam Australia Chief Executive Officer, Lyn Morgain, said:
"The global hunger crisis is fundamentally a moral crisis. It is unforgivable that over 281 million people are suffering acute hunger while the world's richest continue to make extraordinary profits, including the same aerospace and defence corporations helping to fuel conflict, the main-driver of hunger.
"The top 10 arms companies have hoarded nearly $600 billion in revenues just in 2022 - enough to cover the UN global humanitarian appeal almost 13 times.
"In Australia, defence spending is 10 times international aid spending and is set to increase even further, while aid remains at the historic low of 0.19% GNI.
"The number of people on the brink of famine has almost doubled since last year, the majority of whom are in Gaza where children are already dying of malnutrition and disease as a result of the Israeli government's policy of using starvation as a weapon of war.
"We cannot drastically change course without a global awakening. States must prioritise justice and peace over politics, and radically reform global peace and security bodies to protect international law rather than perpetuate impunity.
"Governments must also rehaul our global food system, tax the rich to invest in the public majority – the small farmers, workers and vulnerable communities – and support green economies."
