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Abstract
There are an estimated 112 million malnourished children in conflict-affected areas, which accounts for two-thirds of all the malnourished children in poor countries, up from half two decades ago, according to the International Food Policy Research Institute. If the blockade and bombing were relaxed, and supplies were allowed to enter and move within the country more quickly, the acute hunger crisis would largely be ameliorated, say international health officials on the ground. Funding gap Meanwhile, relief efforts for the global hunger crisis are over-stretched and underfunded. Since January, the WFP has cut its food assistance for Syrian refugees in neighbouring countries from 25% to 50%, and in some cases stopped it altogether. The International Food Policy Research Institute's newly released Global Hunger Index finds that alarming levels of food insecurity are still present in 52 countries, while 795 million people around the world are chronically undernourished, according to projections from the UN Food and Agriculture Organization.