Some 16.9 billion U.S. dollars will be needed to help people in the world who need the most urgent humanitarian food assistance in 2025, the United Nations World Food Program (WFP) said on Friday.
In its flagship 2025 Global Outlook report, released at the WFP's Rome headquarters, the agency said that at least 343 million people across 74 countries are currently facing acute food insecurity, marking a 10 percent increase compared to last year.
The country contexts in which WFP operates are becoming more complex, making reaching people in need more difficult and costly, says the report.
The shortfalls in funding raised in 2024 have already forced the WFP to scale back its activities this year, often leaving some of the most vulnerable behind, according to the report.
The report projects that in 2025, approximately 16.9 billion U.S. dollars will be needed to provide assistance to 123 million people in hunger.
WFP Executive Director Cindy McCain stressed that global humanitarian needs are rising, fueled by devastating conflicts, more frequent climate disasters, and extensive economic turmoil, demanding financial and diplomatic support from the international community.
16.9 bln dollars needed for humanitarian food aid in 2025: WFP
China's e-commerce sector has maintained healthy growth from January to October, with total online retail sales rising by 8.8 percent during the period, according to the Ministry of Commerce on Friday.
In the first 10 months this year, the country's online retail sales totaled 12.4 trillion yuan (about 1.7 trillion U.S. dollars). Of this, online retail sales of physical goods reached 10.3 trillion yuan (about 1.4 trillion U.S. dollars), up 8.3 percent year on year, the ministry's data showed.
In October, boosted by the National Day holiday, the 'Double 11' shopping festival and trade-in program, online retail sales maintained steady growth, with rapid increases in the purchase of digital products and service consumption.
For example, online sales of smart home devices and mobile phones rose by 14.2 percent and 12.2 percent year on year, respectively, in October, while sales of range hoods and household stoves surged by 93 percent and 46.8 percent, respectively. Internet service consumption also increased by 15.5 percent.
In addition, the expansion of e-commerce has helped increase online sales of overseas fresh produce by making it easier to reach Chinese consumers.
From January to October, sales of Chilean cherries and Malaysian durians on Chinese e-commerce platforms increased by 107.8 percent and 23.6 percent year on year, respectively, according to the data.
China's online retail sales up 8.8 pct from January to October
