UN helps provide school lunches in Haiti. UN report: World hunger to rise in coming months Humanitarian aid
A new UN report predicts that hunger will rise in 22 countries and regions. The spread of conflicts, especially in the Middle East, combined with climate and economic factors, are putting millions of people in dire straits.
The report, in particular, highlights the regional impact of the Gaza crisis, which has engulfed Lebanon in conflict, and warns that the La Niña weather phenomenon could impact climate change in the coming months (until March 2025), threatening food systems in already vulnerable regions.
The authors of the report recall the famine in the Zamzam camp in North Darfur, the risk of famine in other parts of Sudan and Gaza, and catastrophic levels of food insecurity in Haiti, Mali and South Sudan. They warn that without urgent humanitarian action and concerted efforts to overcome severe access restrictions and resolve ongoing conflicts, further spread of famine is likely.
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A report released today by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the UN World Food Programme (WFP) calls for immediate action to save lives and prevent famine and death.
A total of 22 countries and territories are classified as “hunger hotspots,” where food insecurity is expected to worsen further between November 2024 and May 2025 due to conflict, economic instability and climate shocks. Without immediate intervention, including increased funding for food and livelihoods assistance, hundreds of thousands more people will face hunger in the coming months, experts stress.
“The situation in the five famine hotspots of greatest concern is dire. People are facing extreme food insecurity and unprecedented, prolonged hunger, driven by escalating conflicts, climate crises and economic shocks. If we are to save lives and prevent acute hunger and malnutrition, we urgently need a humanitarian ceasefire and to restore [people’s] access to nutritious foods, including by resuming local food production,” said FAO Director-General QU Dongyu.
“But this alone is not enough. We need long-term stability and food security. Peace is a prerequisite for food security. Without peace and stability, farmers cannot grow food and harvest crops,” he added, stressing that access to food is not just a basic need, but a fundamental human right.”
Diplomatic Solutions
Cindy McCain, Executive Director of the UN WFP, in turn, noted that with more effective political and financial support, humanitarian organizations will continue to implement proven solutions to combat hunger.
“Now is the time for world leaders to step up and work with us to help the millions of people threatened by hunger, offering diplomatic solutions to end conflicts, using their influence to ensure that humanitarian organizations can operate in safety, and mobilizing the resources… needed to stop global hunger,” McCain said.
A La Niña event between November 2024 and March 2025 is expected to cause devastating floods in countries such as Nigeria and South Sudan while simultaneously bringing drought conditions to Somalia, Kenya and Ethiopia. These extreme weather events threaten already fragile food systems, putting millions of people at risk of famine.
FAO and WFP are calling on world leaders to prioritize conflict resolution, economic support for vulnerable countries and climate change adaptation measures.
Hunger hotspots
The situations in Palestine, Sudan, South Sudan, Haiti and Mali require urgent attention, according to the report. Conflict is the main cause of hunger in these areas.
Chad, Lebanon, Myanmar, Mozambique, Nigeria, Syria and Yemen are of grave concern. Large numbers of people are facing acute food insecurity, and the situation is likely to worsen in the coming months.
Since June 2024, Kenya, Lesotho, Namibia and Niger have joined the list of “hunger hotspots,” along with Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Malawi, Somalia, Zambia and Zimbabwe, where food insecurity is likely to worsen further over the forecast period.
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