The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Food Programme (WFP) have warned of a major food emergency, with acute food insecurity expected to worsen between November this year and May 2026.
In a joint report issued on Wednesday, 12 November, the two UN agencies said the threat covers 16 countries around the world, putting millions of lives at risk.
According to the report, countries at risk of famine or catastrophic hunger include Sudan, Palestine, South Sudan, Mali, Haiti, and Yemen, with some communities in these states projected to reach famine conditions or their brink.
Countries where the situation is of “very high concern” include Syria, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Myanmar, Nigeria, Somalia, and Afghanistan, in addition to other hunger hotspots such as Burkina Faso, Chad, Kenya, and Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh.
Famine is not inevitable
The report warned that delays in action will cost lives and increase humanitarian costs.
It noted that children are particularly at risk, as malnutrition weakens their immune systems, making them more vulnerable to disease and death.
WFP Executive Director Cindy McCain said, “Famine is not inevitable; we have the tools and the knowledge to prevent it, but we need resources and political will to act immediately.”
The two UN agencies explained that food insecurity does not automatically lead to famine, noting four stages that food insecurity passes through:
In the first stage, households are unable to meet their basic food needs. In the second stage, they resort to desperate measures such as skipping meals or selling essential possessions. The third stage is an emergency. The fourth stage, catastrophe or famine, is when hunger becomes life-threatening.Drivers of food insecurity
The report highlighted four key drivers pushing some countries toward severe food insecurity:
Conflict and violence, the main cause in 14 out of the 16 hunger hotspots. Economic shocks, such as fragile economies, rising debt levels, and higher food prices. Extreme climate events, including floods, droughts, and cyclones linked to the La Niña phenomenon. Falling humanitarian assistance, which results in cuts to food rations and limited treatment of malnutrition due to funding shortfalls.FAO and WFP called for urgent action to prevent famine, including:
Providing humanitarian assistance to save lives and livelihoods. Taking anticipatory measures, including early interventions, before crises deteriorate. Investing in resilience building to address root causes, not just symptoms.The two organizations stressed that the international community faces a narrow window to act, warning that failure to respond will deepen hunger, destabilize regions, and lead to preventable deaths.
They called for stronger support for efforts to combat hunger through donations to the World Food Programme and backing FAO’s emergency programmes.
They also underlined the need to share information and urged political leaders to prioritize famine prevention, noting that every contribution can help provide food, nutrition, and livelihood support to those most in need.
Political, economic, and security challenges
The International Blue Crescent Relief and Development Foundation (IBC) issued a report on 8 September that examined the situation in Syria after the fall of the Assad regime in late 2024, pointing to a complex mix of political, economic, humanitarian, and security challenges facing the country.
The report highlighted a sharp economic contraction, the persistence of the humanitarian crisis, and rising needs across multiple sectors, alongside the return of hundreds of thousands of refugees and internally displaced people, amid a volatile landscape marked by fragility and uncertainty over Syria’s future.
According to the organization, the Syrian economy shrank to an estimated 17.5 billion US dollars in 2023, compared with 60 billion dollars before 2011, while around 16.7 million people require humanitarian assistance and more than 14 million suffer from food insecurity.
The report stated that Syria has begun to face a series of complex challenges after the regime’s fall, ranging from political and regional fragmentation to foreign interventions, sectarian tensions, and violence, coinciding with a democratic transition. All of this, it said, casts a shadow over the economic reality and makes the path to recovery “difficult.”
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