AUS
NZ
UK
CA
USA
FRA
GER
ESP
ITA
NLD
PRT
SWE
GRC
IND
POL
BRA
ZAF
RUS
CHN
UAE
The federal government has been urged ahead of Christmas to provide more support in foreign aid to help stop rising global hunger.
The calls from charity Help Fight Famine follow new statistics from the World Food Program revealing growing levels of food insecurity in areas such as the Horn of Africa, including Somalia.
Since December this year, an extra 100,000 people in the country are estimated to be dealing with insufficient food consumption, with about 90 per cent of the country going hungry.
Help Fight Famine is urging Canberra to provide $150 million for immediate hunger relief in the region.
It has also called for the development of a long-term global food strategy to help deal with rising levels of hunger around the world, including providing $200 million each year over the next three years to address the root cause of the issue in the Horn of Africa.
Spokeswoman Kirsty Robertson said early intervention was crucial.
"Many children are already dying either from hunger or diseases due to a weakened immune system. One out of 10 children are severely hungry to the point of listlessness and have a high probability of dying before Easter," she said.
"This Christmas many of us will be enjoying seafood, ham, pavlova and mangoes. Amid plenty, there is no question the overwhelming bulk of Australians would happily make a modest contribution to prevent children dying from starvation."
While the federal government has spent $15 million on emergency assistance measures in the Horn of Africa and nearby Yemen, Ms Robertson said the contribution should go further.
"These unacceptable rates of hunger are preventable. Lives can be saved with urgent financial assistance," she said.
