The number of people experiencing high levels of acute food insecurity and requiring urgent food and livelihood assistance has increased for the fourth consecutive year in 2022, a new report said today. Over a quarter of a billion people were estimated to face acute hunger last year because of conflict, economic shocks and weather extremes related to the climate crisis, with the Ukraine war contributing to the increase.
In 2022, the Global Report on Food Crises (GRFC) 2023 says around 258 million people across 58 countries and territories faced acute food insecurity at crisis or worse levels (IPC Phase 3-5), up from 193 million people in 53 countries and territories in 2021.
More than 40 percent of the people requiring food aid lived in just five countries: the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Afghanistan, Nigeria, and Yemen. Among the ten countries worst affected were Myanmar, Syria, Sudan, Ukraine, and Pakistan.
“This seventh edition of the Global Report on Food Crises is a stinging indictment of humanity’s failure to make progress towards Sustainable Development Goal 2 to end hunger, and achieve food security and improved nutrition for all”, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres said in the foreword.
People in seven countries faced catastrophic conditions. More than half of the 376,400 people in catastrophe / famine conditions (IPC Phase 5) were in Somalia (214,100), but these severe live threatening conditions also affected thousands in South Sudan (87,000), Yemen (31,000), Afghanistan (20,300), Haiti (19,200), Nigeria (3,000) and Burkina Faso (1,800).
Some 35 million people were in emergency levels of food insecurity (IPC Phase 4) in 39 countries, with more than half of those located in just four countries – Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sudan and Yemen.
“This crisis demands fundamental, systemic change. This report makes clear that progress is possible. We have the data and know-how to build a more resilient, inclusive, sustainable world where hunger has no home — including through stronger food systems, and massive investments in food security and improved nutrition for all people, no matter where they live”, Guterres said.
According to the research, the main causes of food insecurity include conflict and insecurity, economic shocks, and extreme weather. In 2022, conflict was the most significant driver in 19 countries, where 117.1 million people faced acute food insecurity. Economic shocks - including the socioeconomic impacts of COVID-19 and the fallout from the Ukraine conflict - became the main cause in 27 countries with 83.9 million people, weather extremes were the primary driver of acute food insecurity in 12 countries where 56.8 million people were in need of food assistance.
The GFRC says the magnitude of people facing crisis levels or worse “is daunting, but it is that very scale that drives urgency.”
“Earlier intervention can reduce food gaps and protect assets and livelihoods at a lower cost than late humanitarian response”, the report noted.
“Yet too often the international community waits for a Famine classification before mobilizing additional funding. By this stage, lives and futures have already been lost, livelihoods have collapsed, and social networks disrupted with deleterious impacts on the lives of an unborn generation.”
The Global Report on Food Crises is an annual report published by the Food Security Information Network (FSIN) and supported by the Global Network against Food Crises (GNAFC). Since 2017, the GRFC is a key document for global, regional and country-level acute food insecurity, The report is the result of a collaborative work among 16 partners to achieve an assessment of acute food insecurity in countries with food crises, and aims to inform humanitarian and development actors.
IPC stands for the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, a multi-partner initiative for improving food security and decision-making. The IPC acute food insecurity scale consists of five classifications: (1) minimal/none, (2) stressed, (3) crisis, (4) emergency, and (5) catastrophe/famine.
Further information
Full text: Global Report on Food Crises (GRFC) 2023, Food Security Information Network (FSIN), published My 3, 2023
https://www.fsinplatform.org/global-report-food-crises-2023
Website: Global Network Against Food Crises (GNAFC)
https://www.fightfoodcrises.net/