According to the 2020 report, although the South Asian nation has made progress in fighting hunger, it still ranks among 40 countries with a 'serious' level of hunger, scoring 20.4, down from 25.8 the previous year. A high Global Hunger Index (GHI) score can indicate a lack of food, poor diet quality, inadequate child care, unhealthy environment, or a combination of these factors. The GHI rates countries on a scale of 0 to 100, with 0 being the best (no hunger) and 100 the worst. The 2020 Global Hunger Index, jointly published by Concern Worldwide and Welthungerhilfe, was launched online on Friday. The report classifies countries based on their hunger levels as moderate, serious, or alarming, using the most recent official data from sources like FAO, UNICEF, and WHO. The current COVID-19 pandemic is not taken into account in the Index, leading to an underestimation of its impact. The report highlights the significant challenge the world faces in achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development goal of ‘Zero Hunger’ by 2030. GHI scores indicate a worsening situation of hunger and undernutrition in countries with high hunger levels, with progress being slow or even regressing in some areas. These scores are determined by four key indicators: undernourishment, child wasting, child stunting, and child mortality. According to the index, Bangladesh has made significant progress in reducing child stunting, with a decrease of 12.8 percentage points between 2012 and 2020. However, undernourishment continues to be a problem, affecting 13 percent of the population. This is a slight improvement from the 13.8 percent rate in 2012. Additionally, the under-five mortality rate in Bangladesh has decreased from 4.3 percent in 2012 to 3 percent in 2020. The country is facing the possibility of doubling its poverty rate this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Hasina Rahman, Assistant Country Director at Concern Worldwide, mentioned that Bangladesh is facing a heightened risk of food and nutrition insecurity due to the overlapping Health, Economic, and Environmental crises of 2020. She emphasized the need for collective action to transform food systems to be fair, healthy, and environmentally friendly to address the current crises, prevent future health and food crises, and work towards achieving Zero Hunger by 2030. Bangladesh ranks lower than Sri Lanka and Nepal in terms of hunger levels, with India falling behind Pakistan and Afghanistan also included in the rankings. The official data used for the 2020 rankings does not yet reflect the impact of COVID-19 on countries. The text emphasizes that existing vulnerabilities to food insecurity have been highlighted by recent events. Concern Worldwide's CEO, Dominic MacSorley, acknowledges that the world was already falling short of achieving Zero Hunger by 2030 before the COVID-19 pandemic. The economic downturn, combined with climate change and conflict, has further exacerbated food and nutrition insecurity for millions of people, particularly those who were already at risk. The global food system's shortcomings have been exposed by the pandemic, underscoring the need for an integrated and holistic approach to global and environmental health in order to reach the goal of Zero Hunger by 2030.