UN-backed food expert calls on Venezuela to tackle hunger and urges end to economic sanctions

By REGINA GARCIA CANO
Associated Press

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — A United Nations-backed expert on food security is urging Venezuela’s government to develop a robust plan to address hunger. He is also calling for an end to the crippling economic sanctions imposed on the South American country. Michael Fakhri is the U.N. special rapporteur on the right to food. On Wednesday, he acknowledged progress made by the government of President Nicolas Maduro in recent years to address food insecurity, including its effort to boost local production of food. But at the end of a 14-day visit across the country, he told reporters that the root causes of hunger and malnutrition have not been addressed.