-
No fewer than 77 million children and adolescents in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region suffer from some form of malnutrition due to crises.
-
One in three school-age children is overweight or obese, while another 24 million suffer from malnutrition, including stunting and wasting, according to UNICEF.
-
Malnutrition in the MENA region ‘poses a major challenge as it occurs against a complex backdrop of ongoing crises, political instability, climate shocks, and rising food prices.’
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) warned in a statement about the rising number of children suffering from obesity in the Middle East, noting that “55 million children in the region are affected by overweight or obesity, with these forms of malnutrition increasing among school-age children across all twenty countries in the region,” as reported by Al Qabas newspaper.
The organization added that no fewer than 77 million children and adolescents in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region suffer from some form of malnutrition due to crises, stressing that it is a ‘shocking statistic.’
It continued, “One in three school-age children and adolescents is overweight or obese, while another 24 million children suffer from malnutrition, including stunting, wasting, and thinness.”
The organization noted that malnutrition in the MENA region “poses a major challenge as it occurs against a complex backdrop of ongoing crises, political instability, climate shocks, and rising food prices.”
In this context, UNICEF Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa, Adele Khodr, stated, “Only a third of young children receive the nutritious foods they need to grow, develop, and thrive.”
“This is a shocking statistic in 2024 and risks becoming worse as conflicts, crises, and other challenges persist in our region,” she stressed.
Conflict, economic turmoil, and climate challenges hampered efforts to reduce hunger last year, affecting about nine percent of the world’s population, UN agencies reported last month.
It was estimated in a report that about 733 million people faced hunger in 2023, a level that has remained stable for three years following a sharp rise in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Moderate or severe food insecurity, which forces people to occasionally skip meals, affected 2.33 billion people last year, or nearly 29% of the world’s population.
