OVER 18.2 million children — 35 every minute — were born into hunger in 2024, with Pakistan accounting for 1.4m of these births. This sobering statistic was shared recently by Save the Children, which also found that we stand second only to the Democratic Republic of Congo among countries with over 20pc of the population undernourished. Such distressing findings demonstrate our collective failure as a nation. As one of the world’s most climate-vulnerable nations, Pakistan finds itself caught in a perfect storm of environmental disasters, economic instability, and systemic poverty. The devastating floods of 2022 were not merely a temporary setback but a harbinger of the climate-driven challenges that continue to threaten our food security. The connection between climate vulnerability and hunger is no longer theoretical — it is playing out in real time across our provinces. Throughout Pakistan, particularly in rural areas, mothers face impossible choices daily. Many are forced to reduce portions, skip meals, or choose which child gets enough to eat — heart-wrenching decisions no parent should have to make. Behind each statistic is a family struggling to provide their children with basic nutrition, their suffering compounded by rising food prices and limited access to healthcare services.

While the Benazir Income Support Programme has provided crucial support to vulnerable families, these programmes need substantial expansion and better targeting. The Ehsaas Nashonuma programme, specifically designed to address stunting in children, must be scaled up beyond its current reach. Additionally, the government should revitalise the National Food Security Policy, integrating it with climate adaptation strategies and modern agricultural practices. Pakistan needs to strengthen its early warning systems for food insecurity, enhance the coverage of nutrition-specific interventions through lady health workers, and improve coordination between federal and provincial food security initiatives. The non-profit Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund should prioritise agricultural microfinance and climate-smart farming techniques. And while international support is crucial, domestic resource mobilisation is equally important. The government must increase health sector spending with a specific focus on nutrition programmes. Moreover, the National Disaster Risk Management Fund needs enhancement to better respond to climate-induced food crises. The fact that more babies are being born into hunger today than in previous years represents not just a humanitarian crisis but a national emergency that threatens Pakistan’s future. We must ensure that the next generation of Pakistanis is not condemned to a life of hunger and deprivation.

Published in Dawn, January 5th, 2025