UNICEF: Ukraine war raising malnutrition risk in Middle East
Apr 7, 2022
The U.N. children’s agency is warning that rising food prices as a result of the Russian invasion of Ukraine are increasing the risk of malnutrition of millions of children in the Middle East and North Africa
BEIRUT (AP) — Rising food prices as a result of the Russian invasion of Ukraine are increasing the risk of malnutrition of millions of children in the Middle East and North Africa, the U.N. children’s agency warned Thursday.
UNICEF added that families are struggling to put food on the table during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, when observant Muslims abstain from eating and drinking from sunrise to sunset.
Countries in the Middle East and North Africa have been hard hit by wars and poverty and the coronavirus has only made things worse.
Russian troops began invading Ukraine on Feb. 24, and since then, intense fighting in different parts of the country has disrupted food exports. Since the invasion began, Western countries have imposed crippling economic sanctions on Russian institutions.
Ukraine and Russia account for a third of global wheat and barley exports, which countries in the Middle East rely on to feed millions of people who subsist on subsidized bread and bargain noodles. They are also top exporters of other grains and the sunflower seed oil that is used for cooking.
UNICEF warned that if the situation continues, it will severely impact children in the region, especially in Egypt, Lebanon, Libya, Sudan, Syria and Yemen, countries that were struggling with conflicts and severe economic crises even before the war in Europe began.
“With ongoing conflicts, political instability, the COVID-19 pandemic and the Ukraine crisis, the region is witnessing unprecedented hikes in food prices coupled with low purchasing power,” said Adele Khodr, UNICEF regional director for the Middle East and North Africa. She added that the number of malnourished children is likely to drastically increase.
Countries in the Middle East and North Africa import more than 90% of the food they consume. UNICEF says that only 36% of young children in the region are receiving the diets they need to grow and develop in a healthy way.
On average, nearly one in five children is stunted or too short for their age while the average number of children who are too thin for their height is 7%, the report said.
UNICEF named Yemen, Sudan, Lebanon and Syria as the most impacted by the war in Ukraine. In those countries, over 9.1 million children are under the age of 5, and a total of almost 13.8 million children and women are in need of nutrition interventions, according to UNICEF.
More News
Want to bag a break but save some cash? Here's our pick of the best travel deals available this week - from savings on all-inclusive Egypt stays to affordable city breaks
The Daily Mail's travel desk brings you a selection of the best deals currently available - so you can bag a bargain break.
Illegal mining threatens French Guiana forests and indigenous communities
In French Guiana, the fight against illegal gold mining is rapidly being lost and creating an environmental and health disaster, according to the World Wildlife Fund. During an aerial survey in early August, park rangers counted 239 illegal sites within the protected area in record.
15 Products Self-Described Overpackers Swear By
Love you, but HOW do you not own a pack of compression bags yet...? View Entire Post ›
"In Spain, It Was Everywhere": 40 Things That Exist Outside The US That Prove America Is Embarrassingly Behind The Rest Of The World
"They put ours to shame." View Entire Post ›
Plan A Trip Around The World, And I'll Tell You Which American City You Should Visit
As Mr. Worldwide once said: "Brazil, Morocco, London to Ibiza. Straight to LA, New York, Vegas to Africa" View Entire Post ›
27 Products That’ll Make Holiday Travels So Much Smoother
Because there are one too many holiday movies that start with the main character missing a flight, and that does NOT need to be your journey this season. View Entire Post ›
The science of Cantonese soups and the gut health benefits – just don’t boil too long
In the first instalment of a four-part Health Matters series on food and health, Lisa Cam unpacks the enduring ritual of Cantonese soup, revealing what modern science says about family recipes, seasonal ingredients and the modern workarounds keeping this domestic staple on the table. In many Chinese households, soups are seen as a show of love from the cook – usually the matriarch of the family. Soup can be everyday food or a banquet course made with ingredients according to the season. The...
Has treatment for stuttering been off base? New guidelines go beyond speech to the brain
More than 80 million people worldwide stutter, yet misconceptions on it persist in the medical field, and access to appropriate care can be limited. New international medical guidelines aim to change that.
Canada is spending more than ever on health care. Are we getting our money's worth?
Canada is spending more on health care than ever. Whether Canadians are getting more care for their money is another question. A new report from the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) projects health-care spending will reach a record $433 billion in 2026, or $10,398 per person, an increase of 4.8 per cent over last year.
Why Some Flights Were Exempt From the Ground Stop
Dozens of international flights departed from the United States during Friday’s nationwide ground stop. Some planes also left for Hawaii from the West Coast.
Brooke Shields’ jeans? Met Gala’s ‘extraOrdinary’ show celebrates everyday fashion
And now, Take 2: the new Met Gala exhibition will celebrate everyday garments and materials such as jeans and puffer jackets, paper and plastic – and how fashion designers transform them. The new theme sounds about as far as can be imagined from the glittering, elaborate designs of John Galliano, the British designer who was originally the subject of the Met’s fashion exhibition next spring – before that idea was scuttled amid an outcry over his past antisemitic statements. The replacement show...
Le Plaza set to shake up Geneva’s cultural scene with new hotel concept and reimagined cinema
Following the opening of Brasserie Europe at Le Plaza in June, the cultural destination is now gearing up to open Cinéma-Hôtel Le Plaza on 04 December 2026, marking a major milestone for the project. This will then be followed by the opening of the reimagined historic Plaza Centre Cinéma on 22 April 2027, completing the transformation of this iconic architectural landmark.