The newly released Global Hunger Index shows twenty-five out of 122 countries surveyed have “alarming” levels of hunger. The number of hungry people surpassed 925 million this year, down from one billion last year. The Index was released as the UN kicked off a food security summit in Rome. On Monday, protesters with the group Oxfam called for action on chronic hunger.

Protester: “This is the weather that many people in southern countries are facing because of climate change and its effects. And climate change is contributing to increase the number of hungry people and also to increase, to worsen, the challenge of hunger. We are here, for the first day of the CFS meeting in Rome, to tell global leaders, northern and southern, to stop the blame game and to start working together to overcome hunger and to overcome poverty.”