Armed conflict is not only a major cause of global hunger, but also a catalyst for the spread of HIV/AIDS, the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) said in a new report this week.
In its 'Assessment of the World Food Security Situation', the FAO said war "destroys lives, opportunities and environments" and "contributes to the spread of AIDS through displacement, rape or commercial sex".
It warned that the Millennium Development Goals of halting the spread of AIDS and reducing by half the number of hungry people in the world by 2015 was "almost certain to be missed by a wide margin" if current trends persisted.
Expressing concern over the situation in parts of sub-Saharan Africa, the FAO stressed that conflict could destroy in hours and days what has taken years and decades to develop.
Access the full report: http://www.fao.org/docrep/meeting/009/J4968e/j4968e00.htm
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