LONDON (Reuters) - The United Nations World food programme (WFP) will need to raise $6.8 billion over the next six months to avert famine amid the current COVID-19 crisis, the agency said on Tuesday.


The WFP, which was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize last week for its efforts to prevent the use of hunger as a weapon of war and conflict, said it has so far raised $1.6 billion.


"We've got a lot more money to raise to make certain we avert famine," David Beasley, executive director of the WFP, said at a conference organised by the U.N's Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO).


Beaseley also noted that 7 million people have died from hunger this year as the COVID-19 pandemic, which could double hunger worldwide, claimed a further 1 million lives.