World on Brink of Hunger Catastrophe, Warns UN

DID Press: A new report titled “Hunger Hotspots” by two UN agencies warns that food insecurity is worsening rapidly in multiple regions worldwide.

Six countries — Sudan, Palestine, South Sudan, Mali, Haiti, and Yemen — are on the brink of a humanitarian catastrophe, with some communities at risk of outright famine. Food insecurity is also severe in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Nigeria, Myanmar, Somalia, Syria, and Afghanistan, while Burkina Faso, Chad, Kenya, and Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh face similar threats.

David Beasley, Executive Director of the World Food Programme (WFP), expressed concern over the rising number of people at risk of hunger. “Famine is not humanity’s inevitable fate. We have the tools, knowledge, and capacity to prevent it, but lack of funding and political will have let this crisis spiral out of control,” he said. He emphasized that children are the most vulnerable, with malnutrition weakening immune systems and increasing the risk of disease and death.

The report identifies conflict and internal violence in 14 of the 16 affected countries as the main drivers of hunger. Other contributing factors include economic shocks, inflation, rising food prices, climate change, droughts, floods, and El Niño-related storms.

Qu Dongyu, FAO Director-General, highlighted that while conflicts remain the primary trigger of hunger, climate crises and economic instability have left millions without safety nets, compounding the global food security challenge.