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Millions of severely malnourished children at risk of death due to funding shortages
by Victor Aguayo
UNICEF Director of Child Nutrition and Development
 
Mar. 2025
 
Statement by UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell on global foreign aid reductions:
 
“Announced and anticipated funding cuts will limit UNICEF’s ability to reach millions of children in dire need.
 
“These cuts by numerous donor countries follow two years of aid reductions at a time of unprecedented need. Millions of children are affected by conflict, need to be vaccinated against deadly diseases such as measles and polio, and must be educated and kept healthy.
 
“As needs continue to outpace resources, UNICEF has consistently brought efficiencies and innovations to our work, and we have stretched every contribution to reach vulnerable children. But there is no way around it, these new cuts are creating a global funding crisis that will put the lives of millions of additional children at risk.
 
“UNICEF is funded entirely by voluntary contributions from governments, private sector partners, and individuals. This support has helped save millions of children’s lives, helped ensure infectious diseases do not spread across borders, and helped mitigate the risks of instability and violence.
 
“With our partners, we have made historic progress. Since 2000, global under-5 mortality has dropped by 50 per cent. Millions of children are alive today thanks to this work. Millions more have been protected with improved health and brighter futures.
 
“UNICEF implores all donors to continue to fund critical aid programs for the world’s children. We cannot fail them now.”
 
http://www.unicef.org/press-releases/statement-unicef-executive-director-catherine-russell-global-foreign-aid-reductions http://www.wvi.org/publication/world-refugee-day/report-ration-cuts-2025
 
Mar. 2025
 
Decades of progress in reducing child deaths and stillbirths under threat, warns the United Nations
 
Decades of progress in child survival are now at risk as major donors have announced or indicated significant funding cuts to aid ahead. Reduced global funding for life-saving child survival programmes is causing health-care worker shortages, clinic closures, vaccination programme disruptions, and a lack of essential supplies, such as malaria treatments.
 
These cuts are severely impacting regions in humanitarian crises, debt-stricken countries, and areas with already high child mortality rates. Global funding cuts could also undermine monitoring and tracking efforts, making it harder to reach the most vulnerable children, the United Nations Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (UN IGME) warned.
 
“From tackling malaria to preventing stillbirths and ensuring evidence-based care for the tiniest babies, we can make a difference for millions of families,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization. “In the face of global funding cuts, there is a need more than ever to step up collaboration to protect and improve children’s health.”
 
Even before the current funding crisis, the pace of progress on child survival had already slowed. Since 2015, the annual rate of reduction of under-five mortality has slowed by 42%, and stillbirth reduction has slowed by 53%, compared to 2000–2015.
 
Almost half of under-five deaths happen within the first month of life, mostly due to premature birth and complications during labour. Beyond the newborn period, infectious diseases, including acute respiratory infections such as pneumonia, malaria, and diarrhoea, are the leading causes of preventable child death. Meanwhile, 45% of late stillbirths occur during labour, often due to maternal infections, prolonged or obstructed labour, and lack of timely medical intervention.
 
Better access to quality maternal, newborn, and child health care at all levels of the health system will save many more lives, according to the reports. This includes promotive and preventive care in communities, timely visits to health facilities and health professionals at birth, high-quality antenatal and postnatal care, well-child preventive care such as routine vaccinations and comprehensive nutrition programmes, diagnosis and treatment for common childhood illnesses, and specialized care for small and sick newborns.
 
Most preventable child deaths occur in low-income countries, where essential services, vaccines, and treatments are often inaccessible. The report also show that where a child is born greatly influences their chances of survival.
 
The risk of death before age five is 80 times higher in the highest-mortality country than the lowest-mortality country, for example, while a child born in sub-Saharan Africa is on average 18 times more likely to die before turning five than one born in Australia and New Zealand. Within countries, the poorest children, those living in rural areas, and those with less-educated mothers face the higher risks.
 
Stillbirth disparities are just as severe, with nearly 80% occurring in sub-Saharan Africa and Southern Asia, where women are six to eight times more likely to experience a stillbirth than women in Europe or North America. Meanwhile, women in low-income countries are eight times more likely to experience a stillbirth than those in high-income countries.
 
“Disparities in child mortality across and within nations remain one of the greatest challenges of our time,” said the UN DESA Under-Secretary-General, Li Junhua. “Reducing such differences is not just a moral imperative but also a fundamental step towards sustainable development and global equity. Every child deserves a fair chance at life, and it is our collective responsibility to ensure that no child is left behind.”
 
We call on governments, donors, and partners across the private and public sectors to protect the hard-won gains in saving children’s lives and accelerate efforts. Increased investments are urgently needed to scale up access to proven life-saving health, nutrition, and social protection services for children and pregnant mothers.
 
* The number of children dying globally before their fifth birthday declined to 4.8 million in 2023, while stillbirths declined modestly, still remaining around 1.9 million, according to reports released today by the United Nations Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (UN IGME). Since 2000, child deaths have dropped by more than half and stillbirths by over a third, fuelled by sustained investments in child survival worldwide. However, progress has slowed and too many children are still being lost to preventable causes.
 
"Millions of children are alive today because of the global commitment to proven interventions, such as vaccines, nutrition, and access to safe water and basic sanitation,” said UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell. “But without adequate investments we risk reversing hard-earned gains, with millions more children dying from preventable causes. We cannot allow that to happen.”
 
http://data.unicef.org/resources/levels-and-trends-in-child-mortality-2024/ http://www.who.int/news/item/25-03-2025-decades-of-progress-in-reducing-child-deaths-and-stillbirths-under-threat--warns-the-united-nations
 
Mar. 2025
 
At least 14 million children face disruptions to critical nutrition services in 2025
 
At least 14 million children are expected to face disruptions to nutrition support and services because of recent and expected global funding cuts, leaving them at heightened risk of severe malnutrition and death – according to analyses issued by UNICEF.
 
The funding crisis comes at a time of unprecedented need for children who continue to face record levels of displacement, new and protracted conflicts, disease outbreaks, and the deadly consequences of climate change – all of which are undermining their access to adequate nutrition.
 
“Over the last decades, we have made impressive progress in reducing child malnutrition globally because of a shared commitment and sustained investment,” said UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell. “Since 2000, the number of stunted children under the age of five has fallen by 55 million, and the lives of millions of severely malnourished children have been saved. But steep funding cuts will dramatically reverse these gains and put the lives of millions more children at risk."
 
Additional impacts across 17 high priority countries due to funding cuts include:
 
More than 2.4 million children suffering from severe acute malnutrition could go without Ready-to-use-Therapeutic-Food (RUTF) for the remainder of 2025.
 
Up to 2,300 life-saving stabilisation centres – providing critical care for children suffering from severe wasting with medical complications – are at risk of closing or severely scaling back services.
 
Almost 28,000 UNICEF-supported outpatient therapeutic centres for the treatment of malnutrition are at risk, and in some cases have already stopped operating.
 
Today, levels of severe wasting in children under five remain gravely high in some fragile contexts and humanitarian emergencies. Adolescent girls and women are especially vulnerable. Even before the funding cuts, the number of pregnant and breastfeeding women and adolescent girls suffering from acute malnutrition soared from 5.5 million to 6.9 million – or 25 per cent – since 2020.
 
UNICEF expects these figures to rise without urgent action from donors as well as adequate investments from national governments.
 
“UNICEF is calling on governments and donors to prioritise investments in health and nutrition programmes for children and is urging national governments to allocate more funding to domestic nutrition and health services. Good nutrition is the foundation of child survival and development, with impressive returns on investment. Dividends will be measured in stronger families, societies and countries, and a more stable world,” said Russell.
 
http://www.unicef.org/press-releases/least-14-million-children-face-disruptions-critical-nutrition-services-2025-unicef http://www.wfp.org/news/wfp-calls-urgent-investment-prevent-child-wasting-leaders-convene-nutrition-growth-summit http://news.un.org/en/story/2025/03/1161541
 
* IPC Child Acute Malnutrition Classification latest: http://tinyurl.com/4n25jjbz
 
Mar. 2025
 
U.S. to End Vaccine Funding for Poor Children. (NYT, agencies)
 
The Trump administration intends to terminate the United States’ financial support for Gavi, the organization that has helped purchase critical vaccines for children in developing countries, saving millions of lives over the past quarter century, and to significantly scale back support for efforts to combat malaria, one of the biggest killers globally.
 
Gavi is estimated to have saved the lives of 19 million children since it was set up 25 years ago with the US contributing 13% of its budget, the New York Times said.
 
The terminated U.S. grant to Gavi was worth $2.6 billion through 2030. Gavi was counting on a pledge made last year by President Joseph R. Biden Jr. for its next funding cycle.
 
New vaccines with the promise to save millions of lives in low-income countries, such as one to protect children from severe malaria and another to protect teenage girls against the virus that causes cervical cancer, have recently become available, and Gavi was expanding the portfolio of support it could give those countries.
 
The loss of U.S. funds will set back the organization’s ability to continue to provide its basic range of services — such as immunization for measles and polio — to children in the poorest countries, let alone expand to include new vaccines.
 
By Gavi’s own estimate, the loss of U.S. support may mean 75 million children do not receive routine vaccinations in the next five years, with more than 1.2 million children dying as a result.
 
Mark Suzman’s CEO of the Gates Foundation said: "I am deeply disturbed by news reports that the U.S. Administration is considering withdrawing its support for Gavi. If true, and if Congress allows this to happen, the impacts will be devastating, including possibility of hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of preventable deaths, especially among mothers and children.
 
http://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/26/health/usaid-cuts-gavi-bird-flu.html http://www.gavi.org/our-alliance/about http://www.gavi.org/news/media-room/statement-global-high-level-summit-support-gavi-replenishment http://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/latest/msf-statement-us-decision-withdraw-who http://www.gatesfoundation.org/ideas/media-center/press-releases/2025/01/us-withdrawal-world-health-organization http://www.who.int/news/item/16-01-2025-who-launches-us-1.5-billion-health-emergency-appeal-to-tackle-unprecedented-global-health-crises
 
* The Forbes 2024 Billionaires list reports 2,781 people holding combined assets of $14.2 trillion. The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute reports global military spending of $2440 billion in 2023.
 
http://www.caritas.org/2025/02/closure-of-usaid-foreign-aid-will-kill-millions/ http://actalliance.org/act-news/act-general-secretary-statement-of-concern-over-us-administration-policies-impacts-on-humanitarian-aid/ http://www.interaction.org/statement/60-ngos-respond-to-terminations-of-life-saving-programs/ http://www.interaction.org/statements http://reliefweb.int/report/world/children-facing-extreme-hunger-crisis-put-risk-aid-cuts-clinics-close http://news.un.org/en/story/2025/03/1161366 http://www.unhcr.org/news/press-releases/statement-unhcr-s-filippo-grandi-impact-global-aid-cuts-refugees http://www.unaids.org/en/impact-US-funding-cuts http://www.acaps.org/en/thematics/all-topics/us-funding-freeze http://www.icvanetwork.org/uploads/2025/03/Lives-on-the-Line-Final-Report.pdf http://www.icvanetwork.org/uploads/2025/02/Impact-of-US-Funding-Suspension-Survey-Results-ICVA.pdf http://www.icvanetwork.org/90-day-suspension-order-resources/ http://humanitarianaction.info/document/us-funding-freeze-global-survey http://www.taxobservatory.eu/publication/a-blueprint-for-a-coordinated-minimum-effective-taxation-standard-for-ultra-high-net-worth-individuals/
 
Mar. 2025
 
United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk remarks to UN Human Rights Council meeting on the Rights of the Child Theme: Early Childhood Development:
 
"In recent years, we have all seen appalling images of people suffering the horrific effects of conflict, but when it comes to children, they clearly played no part in stoking the violence. They could never be fighters, or armed rebels, or militia members. Because they are small children. Sometimes, babies.
 
From Sudan to Gaza, from the Democratic Republic of the Congo to Ukraine, children are bearing the brunt of the global failure to uphold human rights. As international human rights and humanitarian law are broken with impunity, children are the most vulnerable victims.
 
Even in countries that are at peace, children are routinely denied their rights to food, water and shelter; to education, healthcare and a clean environment.
 
Children make up a third of humanity. Our experiences during childhood can affect us for our entire lives. And children’s small bodies make them more vulnerable to physical and environmental harms than adults.
 
Upholding the rights of children is at the heart of our commitment to advancing and safeguarding human rights for all. The Convention on the Rights of the Child is the most widely ratified human rights treaty in the world. This shows the strong commitment of States to protect and promote the rights of every child, without discrimination. Today, we must find our way back to that pledge.
 
Some 80 percent of our brain develops in the three years after our birth. Early childhood development is an essential foundation for a happy, healthy, fulfilling life. This, in turn, is the basis for strong communities and resilient economies.
 
Yet the gap between the Convention and reality is increasing. Many children face a precarious future. As action on hunger, poverty and the 2030 Agenda falters, inequality and climate chaos increase.
 
In the next thirty years, eight times as many children could be exposed to extreme heatwaves, and twice as many to extreme wildfires.
 
The digital divide means just 25 percent of children in low-income countries are online, compared with more than 95 percent in high-income countries. And children in all countries lack the protections needed to stay safe online.
 
Decades of progress on children’s rights and development are stagnating and even being rolled back, directly threatening children’s early development and even survival.
 
Almost one in three children worldwide do not have access to safe drinking water. Two in five children lack access to basic sanitation. One in three children under 5 are not growing and developing as they should, because of malnutrition. Over 385 million children are living in extreme poverty, surviving on less than $1.90 per day.
 
And for children marginalized by their ethnicity, or their socioeconomic, migration or disability status, the situation is far worse. We are letting children down, instead of lifting them up.
 
We know what children need to survive and thrive: health care and nutrition, clean air and water, protection from harm, and a sense of nurturing and security.
 
Initiatives that target the most marginalized children help to break cycles of poverty, for the benefit of entire communities. Investments in early childhood are one of the smartest ways to achieve sustainable economic development. Studies indicate that the economic return can be up to thirteen times the amount invested.
 
Governments have the primary responsibility to fulfil children’s rights. But the private sector, civil society, educational institutions and many other stakeholders have an interest – and a responsibility, when it comes to the wellbeing of children. We must all work together to provide children with the best possible chances in life.
 
A child’s early years are a vital window of opportunity, and their life chances should not depend on luck. In these troubling times, we must stand up together for the full implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. We must revitalize investment in children – all children, everywhere".
 
http://news.un.org/en/story/2025/03/1161111
 
* UN Human Rights Council 2025 Annual discussion on rights of the child; Early Childhood Development: UN WebTV: Day 1 video broadcast starts at 1hr 05 minutes in:
 
http://webtv.un.org/en/asset/k1y/k1ygkhegr5 http://webtv.un.org/en/asset/k16/k16ycl95hy
 
Nov. 2024
 
Millions of children suffering from severe wasting, also known as severe acute malnutrition, are at risk of death due to funding shortages for life-saving Ready-to-use-Therapeutic-Food (RUTF) to treat wasting, UNICEF warned today.
 
Levels of severe wasting in children under five years remain gravely high in several countries, fueled by conflict, economic shocks and climate crises.
 
“In the past two years an unprecedented global response has allowed the scale-up of nutrition programmes to contain child wasting and its associated mortality in countries severely affected by conflict, climate and economic shocks, and the resulting maternal and child nutrition crisis,” said UNICEF Director of Child Nutrition and Development Victor Aguayo. “But urgent action is needed now to save the lives of nearly two million children who are fighting this silent killer.”
 
It is estimated that funding shortages for RUTF are leaving nearly two million children at risk of not receiving treatment in the 12 hardest-hit countries. Mali, Nigeria, Niger and Chad are either already experiencing or imminently facing stockouts of RUTF, while Cameroon, Pakistan, Sudan, Madagascar, South Sudan, Kenya, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda could run out of stock by mid-2025.
 
The situation in Africa’s Sahel region is exacerbated by prolonged droughts, floods, and erratic rainfall. These conditions lead to food shortages and high food prices, resulting in higher levels of severe wasting.
 
For example, in Mali, over 300,000 children under the age of five are expected to suffer from severe wasting in 2024, yet nutrition programmes started running out of RUTF supplies at the end of July, meaning children will not receive the treatment they urgently need.
 
In Chad, the government declared a food and nutrition emergency in February. Over 500,000 children under five are projected to suffer from severe wasting this year, and provinces with large refugee populations are particularly affected. Around 315,000 children were treated for severe wasting between January and August. While the need for RUTF remains urgent, the country is projected to run out of it by the end of this month.
 
UNICEF is calling for US$165 million to fund therapeutic feeding, treatment and care for the two million children at-risk of death due to critical shortages of RUTF.
 
Children suffering from wasting, which is caused by a lack of nutritious and safe foods and repeated bouts of disease, are dangerously thin and their immune systems are weak, leaving them vulnerable to growth failure, poor development, and death.
 
“UNICEF has repeatedly warned that without sustainable prevention strategies and sustained financing, there would be RUTF stockouts in several countries, with the Sahel hardest hit by funding shortages,” Aguayo added. “We are now seeing that happening.”
 
http://www.unicef.org/nutrition http://www.unicef.org/press-releases/nearly-two-million-severely-malnourished-children-risk-death-due-funding-shortages http://www.savethechildren.net/news/new-famine-report-final-warning-children-sudan http://www.savethechildren.net/news/2024-review-35-children-born-hunger-every-minute-2024
 
* IPC Child Acute Malnutrition Classification latest: http://tinyurl.com/4n25jjbz


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Sudan continues to slide into a widening Famine
by Food Security Information Network, agencies
 
10 Apr. 2025
 
Sudan: Two years of war, starvation & global failure, the world must act now - CARE, Danish Refugee Council, International Rescue Committee, Mercy Corps, Norwegian Refugee Council.
 
Two years of war in Sudan have created a humanitarian catastrophe without parallel. Over 30 million people – nearly 65 percent of Sudan’s population – now need urgent assistance to survive. Attacks on civilians are relentless. Women and girls endure systemic sexual violence. The reported use of rape as a weapon of war paints one of the conflict’s darkest pictures.
 
Meanwhile, lifesaving aid is being deliberately blocked as famine spreads – pushing entire communities towards starvation – and the looming rainy season threatens to flood critical transportation routes and further reduce access to communities in urgent need.
 
While the international community has taken steps to alleviate suffering, these remain too slow, too timid, and dangerously inadequate.
 
Half of Sudan’s population faces severe hunger. The stories that our teams and partners share with us must be a wake-up call to the world: A father so desperate that he tried to sell his three children, hoping someone who could feed them would buy them; families forced to survive on grass and leaves because there’s simply nothing else to eat. These are not isolated cases, but the brutal reality for millions living in conflict-affected states.
 
Over 3.7 million refugees – mostly women and children – have fled to neighboring countries in search of food and safety, only to face equally dire conditions. Exhausted and destitute, Sudanese refugees arriving in Chad, South Sudan and beyond find overcrowded camps, scarce resources, and a humanitarian system stretched to its absolute limits. The region is at a tipping point, with tensions now flaring in South Sudan, Chad and Ethiopia.
 
The world’s failure to fund humanitarian action in Sudan has now become the biggest obstacle to saving lives. Only ten percent of this year’s $ 4.1 billion appeal to assist 20.9 million people in Sudan have been secured. Efforts to support refugees and returnees in neighbouring countries also remain critically underfunded.
 
This catastrophic gap is forcing Sudanese local responders to shut down life-saving communal kitchens and mobile clinics. Yet they are the backbone of the humanitarian response, saving lives daily by reaching those in the greatest need with food, water, and medical care.
 
The upcoming ministerial conference on Sudan taking place in the United Kingdom must be a turning point. World leaders should move beyond rhetoric and take immediate, concrete action to end the conflict, protect civilians, ensure aid reaches those who need it, and stop the expansion of famine conditions.
 
This requires facing a brutal truth: When funding dries up, people don’t just suffer—they die. Humanitarian organisations, including local responders, need resources now – not tomorrow, not after another round of talks – to halt the daily toll of preventable deaths.
 
The world's delayed action has already cost countless lives. This cannot go on.
 
http://reliefweb.int/report/sudan/sudan-two-years-war-starvation-global-failure-world-must-act-now http://www.nrc.no/news/2025/april/joint-statement---two-years-of-war-starvation-and-global-failure-the-world-must-act-now-for-sudan http://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2025/04/sudan-faces-worsening-humanitarian-catastrophe-famine-and-conflict-escalate
 
Mar. 2025
 
The Sudan Food crisis: Urgent call for assistance
 
As it enters its third year of conflict, the Sudan continues to face one of the world’s most severe humanitarian crises and the largest internal displacement crisis. Over half of the Sudan’s population is acutely food insecure, marking the highest level of hunger in the country’s history.
 
Famine has been confirmed in five areas and five more are likely to experience famine conditions through May 2025, according to projections from the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) Famine Review Committee.
 
This escalation of hunger and malnutrition is alarming, particularly during what is typically the harvest season, when food availability should be at its peak. The conflict has devastated agricultural activities, which two-thirds of the population rely on for food and income, leaving farming families unable to plant or harvest.
 
Market access has also been severely disrupted, critical infrastructure destroyed, and access to vital resources such as seeds, tools and veterinary services restricted, hindering local food production. Supply chain disruptions, declining terms of trade and economic downturn have led to a sharp rise in food prices, further limiting access to food and basic services. Recurring climatic shocks, including heavy rains, flooding, and disease outbreaks, have further exacerbated humanitarian needs.
 
Fighting continues to kill and injure civilians and destroy hospitals, markets and other essential infrastructure. Nearly two-thirds of the population need emergency aid, and the country is facing famine conditions.
 
In response, the United Nations and partners today launch the 2025 humanitarian and refugee response plans for Sudan, appealing for a combined US$6 billion to assist nearly 26 million people inside the country and in the region.
 
“Sudan is a humanitarian emergency of shocking proportions,” said Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher. “Famine is taking hold. An epidemic of sexual violence rages. Children are being killed and injured. The suffering is appalling. But our plan is a lifeline to millions. We need to stop the fighting, the funding to deliver for the Sudanese people, and better access by land, sea and air to those who need help.”
 
“Today, one-third of Sudan’s entire population is displaced. The consequences of this horrific and senseless conflict spread far beyond Sudan’s borders,” said Filippo Grandi, UN High Commissioner for Refugees. “Neighbouring countries have shown great solidarity by welcoming refugees, even when more are arriving every day. But their resources are stretched – essentials such as water, shelter and health services are scarce – and Sudan needs urgent support. The international community must step up and help, not just to ensure that emergency aid and life-saving protection can continue without disruption, but also to end the violence and restore peace to Sudan.”
 
Catastrophic hunger is expected to worsen by May when the lean season begins. With continued fighting and basic services having collapsed across most of the country, the crisis is set to get worse.
 
The Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan for Sudan aims to reach nearly 21 million vulnerable people with life-saving aid and protection. This is the highest number of people in any UN-coordinated plan this year and requires $4.2 billion in support.
 
19 Feb. 2025
 
UN confirms famine in 5 areas of Sudan, warns of catastrophic hunger. (UN News)
 
The United Nations warned on Wednesday that famine conditions have been confirmed in at least five areas of Sudan, with children and pregnant women suffering from acute malnutrition as conflict rages.
 
Spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters that the Famine Review Committee of the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) had confirmed “reasonable evidence of famine conditions” in Zamzam, Abu Shouk and Al Salam camps in North Darfur, and two locations in the Western Nuba Mountains.
 
“There are reports of people dying of starvation in some areas like Darfur, Kordofan and Khartoum,” Dujarric said, adding that approximately 638,000 people are in “catastrophic hunger conditions,” classified as IPC phase 5.
 
He described the situation as “horrific and sad,” noting that a record 4.7 million children under the age of five, as well as pregnant and breastfeeding women and girls, are suffering from acute malnutrition.
 
“People in Zamzam camp, which as you know – as we’ve told you – had been regularly bombed, are resorting to extreme measures to survive because food is so scarce. Families are eating peanut shells mixed with oil, which is typically used to feed animals,” Dujarric said.
 
The UN called on all parties to the conflict to “silence the guns and put the interest of their people first and foremost.”
 
“We urgently need to expand access and open new corridors – both cross-border and across conflict frontlines – to provide assistance and save people from dying of starvation,” Dujarric said.
 
http://www.ipcinfo.org/ipcinfo-website/countries-in-focus-archive/issue-117/en/ http://reliefweb.int/report/sudan/un-urges-global-action-protect-and-support-civilians-devastated-sudans-war-enar http://www.unocha.org/news/un-urges-global-action-protect-and-support-civilians-devastated-sudans-war http://reliefweb.int/report/sudan/humanitarian-crisis-sudan-statement-humanitarian-coordination-forum-hcf http://reliefweb.int/report/sudan/sudan-food-crisis-priority-actions-urgent-call-assistance http://reliefweb.int/report/sudan/humanitarian-action-children-2025-sudan http://www.unhcr.org/news/press-releases/un-urges-global-action-protect-and-support-civilians-devastated-sudan-s-war http://reliefweb.int/report/sudan/sudan-humanitarian-needs-and-response-plan-2025-overview http://www.unocha.org/news/ocha-urges-security-council-action-famine-conditions-spread-sudan http://news.un.org/en/story/2025/01/1158756 http://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cy7x87ev5jyo http://www.wfp.org/news/food-and-nutrition-crisis-deepens-across-sudan-famine-identified-additional-areas http://reliefweb.int/report/sudan/sudan-humanitarian-needs-and-response-plan-2025-executive-summary-issued-december-2024
 
24 Dec. 2024
 
Twenty months into the conflict, Sudan continues to slide into a widening Famine crisis characterized by widespread starvation and a significant surge in acute malnutrition.
 
The IPC Famine Review Committee (FRC) has detected Famine in at least five areas and projects that five additional areas will face Famine between December 2024 and May 2025. Furthermore, there is a risk of Famine in seventeen additional areas.
 
Half of the population (24.6 million people) are facing high levels of acute food insecurity. This marks an unprecedented deepening and widening of the food and nutrition crisis, driven by the devastating conflict, which has triggered unprecedented mass displacement, a collapsing economy, the breakdown of essential social services, and severe societal disruptions, and poor humanitarian access.
 
Urgent political action by all stakeholders with influence is required to achieve a sustainable ceasefire and full respect for International Humanitarian Law (IHL) from the parties to the conflict, inside and outside of Sudan. Urgent action is required with exceptional measures to end mass suffering and prevent further deaths.
 
It is imperative that all parties ensure immediate and unhindered humanitarian access to areas classified as IPC Phase 3 or above (Crisis, Emergency, and Famine). Assistance across all sectors must be scaled up and scaled out immediately across all lifesaving and life protecting sectors. Particular attention is needed to support displaced populations and the households hosting them, to prevent widespread loss of life.
 
Only a halt to the conflict, and significant scale-up and scale-out of assistance can prevent an even greater catastrophe.
 
http://reliefweb.int/report/sudan/famine-review-committee-sudan-december-2024-conclusions-and-recommendations http://www.ipcinfo.org/ipc-country-analysis/details-map/en/c/1159433/ http://reliefweb.int/report/sudan/famine-sudan-ingos-call-out-deadly-delays-and-inadequate-response http://www.unocha.org/news/ocha-urges-security-council-action-famine-conditions-spread-sudan http://news.un.org/en/story/2025/01/1158756 http://www.wfp.org/news/food-and-nutrition-crisis-deepens-across-sudan-famine-identified-additional-areas
 
14 Oct. 2024
 
Urgent Action: Sudan is facing the world's largest hunger crisis - World Food Programme, Food Security Cluster, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
 
Severe Acute Food Insecurity has massively increased since the beginning of the conflict in Sudan, leaving over half of the country experiencing severe food insecurity. Urgent action and resources are required to prevent further deterioration and escalation of needs.
 
Over 18 months of unending conflict has caused 25.6 million people in Sudan to fall into severe acute food insecurity. Famine was confirmed in Zamzam IDPs camp of North Darfur by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) and is projected in 14 other areas as the conflict escalates further.
 
The latest IPC alert has classified 755,000 people as living in Catastrophe (IPC Phase 5), the most severe food insecurity classification on the IPC scale, as people are experiencing destitution and starvation, having exhausted coping mechanisms to access food and proper nutrition.
 
The situation is especially critical for populations trapped in areas affected by direct conflict or insecurity, and lack protection, particularly in Greater Darfur, Greater Kordofan, Khartoum and Al Jazirah states.
 
At least 534,000 IDPs and refugees in conflict-affected localities and states - representing around 20 percent of the displaced population in Sudan - face catastrophic levels of acute food insecurity (IPC Phase 4 or 5).
 
Additionally, the crisis in Sudan is spilling over to neighboring countries and affecting the entire region.
 
Over 2.3 million refugees have fled the country across borders, primarily to Central African Republic, Chad, Egypt, Ethiopia, Libya, and South Sudan. This surge in displacement is adding considerable strain to surrounding countries and humanitarian operations.
 
Urgent action must be taken to prevent the spread of hunger. Without the immediate allocation of resources and a ceasefire, millions of highly food insecure people will see their conditions deteriorate to catastrophe levels, or worse be simply left with no assistance at all.
 
The Food Security and Livelihood Cluster (FSLC) is calling on the international community to step up:
 
Mobilize adequate funding to bridge the gap between the current level of resources and scale of needs, so as to effectively continue assisting the 11.4 million people targeted in most need. To deliver emergency lifesaving food assistance. Provide emergency lifesaving and life-sustaining agriculture and livelihoods support to the most vulnerable farmers. Pursue ongoing negotiation and restore humanitarian access to the most in need.
 
Full rations must be distributed to populations in hunger hotspots – residents, newly displaced, protracted IDPs and refugees alike -to stabilize food security outlook and prevent further deteriorations.
 
http://reliefweb.int/report/sudan/severe-food-insecurity-risk-escalating-sudan-facing-worlds-largest-hunger-crisis http://fscluster.org/sudan/document/severe-food-insecurity-risk-escalating http://www.savethechildren.net/news/sudan-famine-crisis-worsens-children-show-physical-signs-starvation http://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2024/10/sudan-faces-one-worst-famines-decades-warn-un-experts http://www.wfp.org/publications/hunger-hotspots-fao-wfp-early-warnings-acute-food-insecurity http://www.fao.org/giews/country-analysis/external-assistance/en/ http://www.ipcinfo.org/ipcinfo-website/resources/countries-in-focus/en/ http://www.ipcinfo.org/


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