Guatemala has declared a “state of public calamity” over what it calls a dire hunger and nutritional crisis. In a national address, Guatemalan President Alvaro Colom said Guatemala has suffered from climate change and the global economic meltdown.

Guatemalan President Alvaro Colom: “On one side, the inherited problem was worsened by the drought resulting from the climate change and those of the global economic crisis. Actions carried out by the government through pro-rural and cohesion social programs prevented the problem reaching more serious consequences. The government will not get lost in a discussion of technical issues. For us, one life has invaluable importance and value.”

Guatemala has the world’s fourth highest rate of chronic malnutrition and the highest in Latin America.