With great success and the participation of more than 80 people, Welthungerhilfe presented for the sixth consecutive year the Global Hunger Index report in Peru. The event which took place on the 6th of November was once again organized as a joint Alliance 2015 event.
Apart from the launch of the global report with the important focus on how gender justice can promote climate resilience and zero hunger, a country report was presented, revealing a critical diagnosis for the country, which for the second year in a row, continues to face its worst food situation since 2008. Inflation in 2022, together with recession and instability in 2023, has generated economic and social deterioration, stalling the fight against hunger.
Susanna Daag, Welthungerhilfe's representative for Peru and Bolivia, presented the global report underlining that "it is essential that public policies address this disparity, as only by ensuring gender equity can we build a more resilient and just food system. This vision focuses on the equitable redistribution of resources, which would not only protect women's rights, but also increase the resilience of families to adverse climate events."
The Peru Report was presented by Miguel Pintado, researcher at the Peruvian Centre for Social Studies (CEPES), a former partner of WHH. Miguel made a deep dive in the causes of the food crisis, stressing that “There are direct and circumstantial causes that have to do with the national situation, but the international situation also plays a role. Our food system is exposed to price volatility and the price of oil, which is the main energy input for transport and agriculture, has changed a lot”.
At the regional level, the report showed that - since the pandemic - Metropolitan Lima and the coast have experienced the most critical food impacts, surpassing the historically high levels of hunger in the jungle region. The report shows that 13 departments of the country are on the moderate hunger scale, and 10, mainly in the central and southern highlands and the northern jungle, are in the severe hunger scale.
In the case of urban and rural areas, it is observed that they have not yet recovered their pre-pandemic levels of food security. In rural areas, although the situation deteriorated steadily between 2019 and 2022, there was a slight improvement in 2023.
"The increase in hunger in urban areas and the limited recovery in rural areas expose the deep inequalities faced by the most vulnerable populations," noted Kaspar Schmidt, director of Helvetas.
In 2024, although inflationary pressures have eased and the economy shows signs of recovery, the social and food emergency persists. This poses important challenges for achieving comprehensive economic and social stability.
"Although the country is in a stage of economic recovery, the report shows that this improvement is not yet reflected in sustained food security. The projections, which consider scenarios of low, moderate and severe impact, point to a slight improvement in the GHI for this year, although insufficient to reverse the situation," said Esperanza Rivera, Program Director of ActionAid Peru.
To face this crisis, a multi-sectorial panel of distinguished experts from the FAO, the private sector, and civil society presented their ideas and proposals for comprehensive and coordinated responses in particular addressing the importance of gender justice as a cornerstone to achieving climate resilience and food and nutrition security in Peru.
