Empty shelves at a grocery store in Gaza. New UN report: millions of people around the world are on the brink of hunger Humanitarian aid
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Food Program (WFP) released a joint report on Wednesday warning of a rapidly deteriorating food situation in 16 hotspots around the world. In most of them, famine is caused by armed conflict, economic turmoil, extreme weather conditions and lack of financing.
The report covers the period from November 2025 to May 2026, and its authors emphasize that time is running out to prevent mass famine.
The report says six countries and territories of greatest concern are Haiti, Mali, Palestine, South Sudan, Sudan and Yemen, where populations are on the brink of catastrophic famine. Another six countries, including Afghanistan, Democratic Republic of Congo, Myanmar, Nigeria, Somalia and Syria, are classified as “very high risk” areas. Other hot spots include Burkina Faso, Chad, Kenya and the Rohingya situation in Bangladesh.
Despite the growing need for aid, funding for humanitarian programs has fallen sharply. Of the required $29 billion, only $10.5 billion had been received by the end of October. This has led to ration cuts, the suspension of school feeding programs and cuts to aid for refugees and displaced people. FAO also warns that underfunding is jeopardizing agricultural initiatives, including seed supplies, veterinary services and preventative measures before planting seasons.
FAO and WFP stress that famine is predictable and preventable. They call on the international community to urgently focus on preventing famine, invest in sustainability and food security, and ensure unimpeded access to humanitarian aid in conflict zones.
The world is on the brink of a preventable catastrophe, according to WFP chief Cindy McCain, and delay will lead to increased instability, migration and new conflicts.