UN human rights chief calls hunger an avoidable tragedy despite global food surplus

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk stated that hunger is an avoidable tragedy in a world producing over 3,000 calories per person per day, attributing the crisis to injustice, inequality, waste, and the use of starvation as a weapon of war. UN Special Rapporteur Sofía Monsalve Suárez reported a ninefold increase in catastrophic hunger since 2016, affecting 1.4 million people across six countries, and called for stronger accountability frameworks.

Why it matters. Highlights systemic failures in food distribution and human rights enforcement affecting hundreds of millions globally, underscoring the gap between food availability and access due to conflict, inequality, and policy gaps.