Two United Nations food agencies have warned that millions more people around the globe could face famine, with critical funding shortfalls worsening already dire conditions worldwide.
A joint report from the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and the World Food Programme (WFP) highlighted that conflict and violence are the primary drivers of acute food insecurity in the majority of the countries identified as being at risk.
The Rome-based agencies listed Haiti, Mali, Palestine, South Sudan, Sudan, and Yemen as the absolute worst-hit areas, “where populations face an imminent risk of catastrophic hunger.”
Nigeria was classified as an area of “very high concern,” alongside Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Myanmar, Somalia, and Syria.
The list of hotspots also included Burkina Faso, Chad, Kenya, and the situation of the Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh.
“We are on the brink of a completely preventable hunger catastrophe that threatens widespread starvation in multiple countries,” said WFP Executive Director Cindy McCain.
She issued a dire warning, stating that a failure to act “will only drive further instability, migration and conflict.”
The report stressed that funding for humanitarian relief is falling “dangerously short,” noting that only $10.5 billion had been received out of the required $29 billion to adequately assist those at risk.
Due to these severe funding cuts, the WFP has already been forced to reduce assistance for refugees and displaced people, while also suspending essential school feeding programmes in some countries. The FAO also warned that efforts to protect agricultural livelihoods are currently threatened.
These efforts, they note, are “essential for stabilising food production and preventing recurring crises.” The FAO stressed that funding is urgently needed for seeds and livestock health services, “before planting seasons begin or new shocks occur.”
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