For the World Bank, countries face a “human catastrophe” due to a food crisis resulting from the Russian invasion of Ukraine

The world is facing a “human catastrophe” due to a food crisis resulting from the war in Ukraine, which has led to an increase in commodity prices, World Bank (WB) President David Malpass told the BBC.

In an interview with the British broadcaster, Malpass, in charge of the global poverty alleviation institution, warned that record increases in food prices can push hundreds of millions of people into poverty and worse nutrition.

“It's a human catastrophe, which means low nutrition. But it also becomes a political challenge for governments that can't do anything about it, didn't cause it and see prices go up,” said the director.

According to the World Bank, food prices could be increased by 37%, a rise that is “magnified” for people who have no resources, since they “will eat less and have less money for anything else, such as education. And that means it's really a kind of unfair crisis.”

Price increases are “affecting food of all kinds, (such as) oils, grains,” said the manager.

The director of the World Bank also warned of a “crisis within a crisis” arising from the inability of developing countries to pay their large debts from the pandemic, amid rising food and energy prices.

“This is a very real perspective. It's happening in some countries, we don't know how far it will go. Up to 60% of the poorest countries right now are burdened by debt or are at high risk of going into debt,” he said.

“We need to be concerned about a debt crisis” and “find ways to reduce the debt burden for countries with unsustainable debt,” the manager added in the interview, held on the sidelines of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank meetings in Washington.

(With information from EFE)

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