The UN World Food Programme predicts that acute hunger will double by the end of
2020: an additional 130m people will not have enough to eat. The long-term effects will
be dire, especially for young children whose physical growth and mental development
will be stunted. The pandemic's disruption of health care means more mothers will die
in childbirth, and more people will die from chronic illnesses such as diabetes, and
preventable diseases such as malaria, in 2021.
All this suffering will exacerbate political instability and social unrest. Fragile states
teetering on the edge of armed conflict will see skirmishes break out. Some may
descend into civil war. Rising inequality and widespread frustration could lead to
protests. And with virtually every country dealing with crises at home, efforts to help
the most vulnerable nations will be limited. In the shadow of the pandemic, the plague
of poverty will spread even further.
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