ADDIS ABABA, July 25 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) said on Tuesday that it has intensified the humanitarian response in the African continent together with the African Union (AU).
Given the magnitude of these hunger crises, AU and WFP are intensifying their response to the humanitarian and developmental challenges presented by these multiple crises, stressing the need to build resilience to prevent such calamities in the future, WFP said in a statement issued on Tuesday.
WFP also said that the African continent has faced unprecedented humanitarian crisis together with skyrocketing humanitarian needs amid multiple complex emergencies.
"The AU has undertaken efforts to end hunger on the African continent, in addition to its work to treat malnutrition, support agriculture, increase livestock production and mitigate the impact of climate change," the statement indicated.
Referring to the World Food Assistance 2017 report that highlights huge costs that are linked to poor humanitarian access, instability and inefficient food systems, WFP revealed that it has witnessed costs spike by more than 140 percent over the past 7 years period.
According to WFP, two regions are home to major food emergencies, east and central Africa and the Middle East and North Africa, account for a staggering 70 percent of this expenditure.
The pan African block and WFP together with senior Ethiopian officials will on Wednesday hold discussion on food assistance and efforts to tackle large scale hunger crises confronting.
The meeting, at the African Union headquarters in Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa, is expected to include discussions on the World Food Assistance 2017 report, which provides a global picture of key recent trends and developments in global food assistance.