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Switzerland is proud of its humanitarian tradition, WFP director of operational management and deputy chief of staff said in an interview with Tamedia titles. “But then it spends only 0.3 percent of its gross domestic product on development purposes, while the minimum standard in most countries is 0.5 percent.”

The world’s hunger situation is acute: before the corona pandemic, 150 million people were in acute need – today there are 350 million. “An increase of 200 million in such a short time is unique,” says Kern. Conflict, the corona pandemic and the climate crisis would have led to the perfect storm. The WFP can help only a third of the needy. “We take money from the hungry to give to the dying.”

For the most part, the real problem is not food availability, but access. “Now people mainly need money, because in most countries the shelves are not empty, for example in Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq or even in Somalia, but the poorest do not have the means to provide for themselves.”

Paradoxically, the WFP is receiving more money than ever before. Last year it was $13 billion, compared to $5 billion five years ago. “But we would actually need $22 billion a year,” Kern calculated. And because of the higher cost of wheat and fuel, four million less people could be supported.

The situation is likely to get worse again this year. “It’s going to get worse,” Kern said. “I am a realist: ‘Zero hunger’ in the world, as formulated by the second UN development goal for 2030, is an illusion.” (sda)