UN Warns of Worsening Global Hunger Crisis; Middle East Among Hardest Hit
Millions more people could soon face starvation as global hunger intensifies amid conflict, climate shocks, and dwindling humanitarian funding, two United Nations food agencies warned on Wednesday, according to AFP.
In a joint report, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Food Programme (WFP) identified 16 hunger hotspots where the risk of famine is rapidly rising. Among the six most critical are three Middle Eastern countries Palestine, Sudan, and Yemen, where populations face an “imminent risk of catastrophic hunger,” the agencies said.
Other nations on the “highest concern” list include Haiti, Mali, and South Sudan, while Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Myanmar, Nigeria, Somalia, and Syria are also classified as “very high concern.” Additionally, Burkina Faso, Chad, Kenya, and Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh remain at acute risk.
“We are on the brink of a completely preventable hunger catastrophe,” said Cindy McCain, executive director of the WFP. “Failure to act will only drive further instability, migration, and conflict.”
The report painted a grim picture of a world where aid cannot keep pace with surging needs. Despite appeals for $29 billion in humanitarian assistance this year, only $10.5 billion has been received; a shortfall that has already forced the WFP to cut food rations for refugees, suspend school meal programs, and scale back emergency operations in several countries.
The FAO warned that collapsing support for agricultural livelihoods could deepen crises in rural areas, threatening seed supplies, livestock health, and food production cycles essential to recovery. “If we fail to act before the next planting season or before new shocks occur, the consequences will be devastating,” the report said.
As wars, inflation, and climate disasters converge, the agencies urged governments and donors to act urgently to avert famine on a scale not seen in decades.
