FAO Director-General Jacques Diouf opened today, November 16, the 2009 World Food Summit on Food Security, which is taking place in Rome until Wednesday 18.

The global food insecurity situation has worsened and continues to represent a serious threat for humanity, FAO says. With food prices remaining stubbornly high in developing countries, the number of people suffering from hunger has been growing relentlessly in recent years. The global economic crisis is aggravating the situation by affecting jobs and deepening poverty. FAO estimates that the number of hungry people increased by a further 100 million in 2009 and passed the one billion mark.

The gravity of the current food crisis is the result of 20 years of under-investment in agriculture and neglect of the sector. However, developing countries can buck the hunger trend with the right policies and investments, says a new FAO report published ahead of next week's World Summit on Food Security. More investments to fight global hunger are thus needed, Diouf stressed last week ahead of the Summit.

In order to draw further attention on the addressed issue, the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and FAO head Jacques Diouf (pictured) had both staged symbolic 24-hour fasts in preparation for the summit. Nevertheless, no representative of the G8 leading industrialized countries took part in the Forum, except for the Prime Minister of Italy (the hosting country). Pope Benedict XVI also addressed the delegates during the first day.