Pakistan has fared much better than it arch rival India on the Global Hunger Index. Pakistan ranked 57th while India stood at 63rd position lagging behind China, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.
The number of hungry people has dropped in India with its score on the Global Hunger Index improving to 63rd position in 2013.
In 2012, India stood at 67th position on GHI. According to the latest GHI, India still has “alarming levels” of hunger with highest prevalence of underweight in children under five at more than 40 percent.
The GHI report has jointly been prepared by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) and NGOs Welthungerhilfe and Concern Worldwide.
On the GHI, China scored 6th position with moderate level of hunger, while Sri Lanka was at 43, Pakistan at 57 and Bangladesh at 58, having ‘serious’ levels of hunger.
The report observed that South Asia has the maximum number of hungry people in the world followed by Sahara region, even as the global hunger is decreasing.
“Social inequality and the low nutritional, educational, and social status of women are major causes of child under-nutrition in this (South Asian) region that have impeded improvements in the GHI score,” it said.
As far as global hunger levels are concerned, the report said the world score on GHI has fallen by 34 percent this year from the 1990 level, but hunger levels still remain “serious” with 19 countries suffering from either alarming or extremely alarming levels of hunger.
The Index identifies hunger levels across 120 developing countries and its scores are based on three equally weighted indicators: proportion of people undernourished, proportion of children under five underweight, and mortality rate of children under five.
IFPRI research fellow Derek Headey said, “Adopting a resilience lens is challenging. We need to build consensus on what it means and on that basis adopt programmes and policies that bridge the relief and development sectors.”
The report said there was a need to break down the institutional, financial and conceptual walls separating the worlds of development and humanitarian assistance within donor and UN agencies to achieve greater synergies in strategies and implementation plans.
“Also, policies that undermine resilience must be revised. To foster resilience to under-nutrition, policies should be designed with the intention of improving nutrition outcomes and realising the right to adequate food,” it said.
The report also suggested that the countries needed to develop national approaches to food and nutrition security that were resilient to shocks and stresses.
The situation is really alarming for Pakistan, we shall not be happy that we are on a better position than India but we shall work together with health department, UN Agencies, civil society and INGO's to make the ranking of Pakistan more better. In Africa there as so many methadologies in use by the INGO's like the food voucher system. According to Maslow's theory of hierarchy, the basis thing that human beings needs is food, shelter and clothing. So if poeple are hungry how come their mind go for devleopment of their own and their nation.
Good it is better than India in Pakistan.But in India,it has improvrd from 63 to 57.what about Pakistan,.Did it improve,This is very important.we all know pakistan was a much better economy than India upto 1990 but now it is very bad & going down..India was always bad earlier in view of eastern part & Bimaru states,which are quite away from Pakistan
What a comparision to be proud of. One hungry nation telling the other, iam less hungry than you.
Fantastic comment and so true.
why are indians always so negative about pakistan while pakistanis are so kind and generous enough to keep peace and try not to fight with always negative india?
Media metters, Indian media always in struggle mind building against Pakistan.
We can't compare Pakistan with India a country having 6 times its population, & similarly the problems. But the Indians strive to solve many issues which Pakistanis don't, & its an endless discussion with no result. But factsare facts & we must accept them.We can't compare Pakistan with India a country having 6 times its population, & similarly the problems. But the Indians strive to solve many issues which Pakistanis don't, & its an endless discussion with no result. But factsare facts & we must accept them.
congrats pakistan 🙂
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