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	Acute food insecurity and malnutrition remain alarmingly high as crises deepen by Global Report on Food Crises (GRFC) 2026   17 June 2026   Acute food insecurity is expected to worsen further for millions - Hunger Hotspots report   The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) today warned that acute food insecurity is expected to worsen further for millions of people across 13 countries deemed “hunger hotspots” between June and November 2026.   The latest edition of the Hunger Hotspots report, released twice a year through the Global Network Against Food Crises (GNAFC), identifies Sudan, South Sudan, Yemen and Palestine as among the world's most critical hunger hotspots in terms of severity and magnitude of hunger.   Northeast Nigeria has been added to the list of highest concern, following projections indicating that populations in Borno State may face Catastrophe levels of acute food insecurity (defined as an extreme lack of food / other basic needs, with starvation, death, destitution and extremely critical acute malnutrition levels evident) during the upcoming period covered by the report. Somalia has also been placed in this category with populations in the Bay region of Burhakaba District facing a risk of Famine.   Armed conflict and violence remain the major drivers of acute food insecurity, affecting 12 of the 13 hotspots. These pressures are compounded by economic shocks, severe funding shortfalls and growing risks linked to a forecast El Nino event, which is expected to bring uneven rainfall, droughts, and flooding across countries with already high vulnerability.   The warning comes at a time of unprecedented funding shortfalls for humanitarian response. Funding for food assistance, emergency agricultural assistance and nutrition in food crises has declined by an estimated 59 percent between 2022 and 2025, returning to levels last seen nearly a decade ago. At the same time, the number of people facing high levels of acute food insecurity in these countries has risen to around 266 million.   The report also warns that additional shocks are worsening the outlook for millions. This is due to recent events such as the ripple effects of the conflict in the Middle East and the Ebola outbreak in areas of eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). These added shocks risk further disrupting livelihoods, markets and humanitarian access.   “The warnings in this report cannot be ignored,” said WFP Acting Executive Director Carl Skau. “Conflict, shocks, and disasters are forcing families to make impossible decisions about who gets to eat and who goes to bed hungry. Without action now, millions more are expected to face worsening levels of hunger in the months ahead, pushing some closer to famine. Our teams are ready to respond at speed and scale. We need resources to deliver food and access to reach people before hunger turns into catastrophe.”   Hotspots of highest concern   In Sudan, a risk of Famine has been identified in 14 areas across North Darfur, South Darfur and South Kordofan through September 2026, and is expected to persist in 13 areas through the harvest period into January 2027. An estimated 19.5 million people — 41 percent of the population — faced high levels of acute food insecurity (IPC Phase 3 or above) through May 2026, including 5 million in Emergency (IPC Phase 4).   The situation is expected to worsen further, with the number of people in Catastrophe (IPC Phase 5) projected to rise to 200,000 across 15 areas in June–September 2026, up from 135,000 in February–May 2026.   In South Sudan, 7.8 million people — 55 percent of the population — are projected to face Crisis or worse levels of acute food insecurity (IPC Phase 3 or above) between April and July 2026, including 2.5 million people in Emergency (IPC Phase 4) and approximately 73,000 people facing Catastrophe (IPC Phase 5). Four counties are projected to face the risk of Famine through July 2026.   In Yemen, acute food insecurity is expected to remain among the most severe globally in 2026. In earlier estimates, 18.3 million people were projected to face crisis or worse (IPC Phase 3 or above) levels of acute food insecurity, representing over half the population. This includes 5.5 million people in Emergency (IPC Phase 4) and 41,000 people projected to face Catastrophe (IPC Phase 5) in Sanaa-based authority-controlled areas in 2026.   According to more recent partial analysis, nearly 5.4 million people in Government-controlled areas are projected to face Crisis or worse (IPC Phase 3 or above) levels of acute food insecurity between June and September 2026.   In Northeast Nigeria the outlook is most severe in Borno State, where 15,000 people are projected to face Catastrophe (CH Phase 5) during June-August 2026. Around 2.3 million people remain internally displaced across the North East.   In Palestine, conditions in the Gaza Strip have improved since the October 2025 ceasefire but remain fragile. The entire territory faced a risk of Famine through mid-April 2026, with 1.6 million people acutely food insecure and requiring urgent assistance (77 percent of the population analysed) including over half a million people in Emergency (IPC Phase 4) and 1900 people projected to face Catastrophe (IPC Phase 5). No projection was available covering the Hunger Hotspots outlook period of June to November 2026 at the time of the report’s drafting.   In Somalia, around 6 million people were projected to face high levels of acute food insecurity between April and June 2026, including nearly 1.9 million projected to face Emergency (IPC Phase 4) levels. There is also now a risk of Famine identified in Burhakaba District. This reflects the broader deterioration in acute food insecurity conditions in the country, stemming from multiple years of drought, record-low crop production, conflict and the ripple effects of the Middle East conflict.   Hotspots of very high concern   Afghanistan remains a hotspot of very high concern, facing consecutive droughts, high food prices, and escalating conflict.   In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, acute food insecurity remains severe, driven by conflict in eastern provinces and large-scale displacement. The resurgence of Ebola is adding a dangerous new layer of risk, threatening to worsen acute hunger by disrupting markets, mobility and humanitarian operations.   Haiti, previously among hotspots of highest concern, has moved into the very high concern category, reflecting limited and localized improvements including slowing inflation and better access along some road corridors, though conditions remain very fragile.   Other hotspots   Myanmar and Mali are identified as hotspots, where conditions are expected to deteriorate as conflict, economic pressures and climate variability compound vulnerability. Lebanon and Madagascar have been added to the list of hotspots as a result of the escalation of hostilities in late February 2026 and adverse and erratic weather conditions, respectively.   Overall, the report points to a worsening outlook for millions of people in the second half of 2026, with unprecedented levels of catastrophic hunger persisting or threatening multiple contexts. It also highlights the importance of acting early to prevent the most severe outcomes.   What needs to be done   Through the Global Network Against Food Crises, FAO and WFP are calling for urgent, coordinated action to scale up humanitarian assistance, ensure safe access, invest in livelihoods and strengthen resilience.   The report underscores that early action saves lives, protects livelihoods and is significantly more cost-effective than responding after crises have escalated.   Without stronger political commitment, predictable financing and collective action, hunger crises are likely to deepen across the world's most vulnerable regions in the months ahead.   http://www.wfp.org/news/new-fao-wfp-report-warns-worsening-hunger-puts-13-hotspots-significant-risk http://www.fightfoodcrises.net/hunger-hotspots   Definition of IPC levels of food insecurity — crisis, emergency, and catastrophe/famine   * IPC3 refers to “crisis” levels of food insecurity, in which households either have food consumption gaps that are reflected by high or above-usual acute malnutrition; or are marginally able to meet minimum food needs but only by depleting essential livelihood assets or through crisis-coping strategies   IPC4 refers to “emergency” levels of food insecurity in which households either have large food consumption gaps which are reflected in very high acute malnutrition and excess mortality; or are able to mitigate large food consumption gaps but only by employing emergency livelihood strategies and asset liquidation.   IPC5 refers to “catastrophe/famine” levels of food insecurity in which households have an extreme lack of food and/or other basic needs even after full employment of coping strategies. Starvation, death, destitution and extremely critical acute malnutrition levels are evident. (For Famine classification, an area needs to have extreme critical levels of acute malnutrition and mortality).   May 2026   Acute food insecurity and malnutrition levels remain alarmingly high and deeply entrenched, with crises increasingly concentrated in at risk countries, according to the Global Report on Food Crises (GRFC) 2026, released today by an international alliance.   In its tenth edition, the GRFC shows that acute hunger has doubled over the past decade, with two famines declared last year for the first time in the report’s history.   The report from the Global Network Against Food Crises reveals that acute food insecurity remains highly concentrated. Ten countries — Afghanistan, Bangladesh, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Myanmar, Nigeria, Pakistan, South Sudan, Sudan, Syrian Arab Republic, and Yemen — accounted for two-thirds of all people facing high levels of acute hunger.   Afghanistan, South Sudan, Sudan, and Yemen experienced the largest food crises both in terms of the share and absolute number of people facing high levels of acute food insecurity.   At the most extreme end, famine was identified in Gaza Governorate and parts of Sudan in 2025 by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) system. This marks the first time since the GRFC began reporting that famine has been confirmed in two separate contexts in the same year.   This signals a sharp escalation in the most extreme forms of hunger and malnutrition, driven primarily by conflict and restricted humanitarian access, and exacerbated by forced displacement.   In total, 266 million people in 47 countries/territories experienced high levels of acute food insecurity in 2025, representing almost 23 percent of the analysed population – a proportion that is marginally higher than in 2024 and nearly double the share recorded in 2016.   In 2025, the severity of acute food insecurity was the second highest on record, with the share of people facing extreme hunger remaining at one of the most critical levels seen in the past two decades. The number of people facing catastrophic hunger (IPC Phase 5) is nine times higher than it was in 2016.   At the same time, acute malnutrition remains a critical and growing concern. In 2025 alone, 35.5 million children were acutely malnourished, including nearly 10 million suffering from severe acute malnutrition. Nearly half of food-crisis contexts also faced nutrition crises, reflecting the combined effects of inadequate diets, disease burden, and breakdowns in essential services.   In the most severe contexts, including Gaza, Myanmar, South Sudan and Sudan, these compounded shocks have resulted in extreme levels of malnutrition and elevated risks of mortality.   In addition, forced displacement continued to exacerbate food insecurity. More than 85 million people were forcibly displaced across food-crisis contexts in 2025, including internally displaced people, asylum-seekers and refugees with people forced to flee consistently facing higher levels of acute hunger than host communities.   “Conflict remains the primary driver of acute food insecurity and malnutrition for millions around the world, with outright famine emerging in two conflict-affected areas in the same year — an unprecedented development,” said United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in the foreword to the report. “This report is a call to action urging global leaders to summon the political will to rapidly scale up investment in lifesaving aid, and work to end the conflicts that inflict so much suffering on so many.”   Outlook for 2026 remains bleak   Looking ahead, the report warns that severe levels of acute food insecurity remain critical in multiple contexts in 2026. Ongoing conflicts, climate variability and global economic uncertainty — including risks to food markets — are likely to sustain or worsen conditions in many countries.   In particular, while a full assessment is premature, the escalation of the conflict in the Middle East – in addition to causing further displacement in a region already hosting millions of forcibly displaced and returnees - exposes countries/territories with food crises to both direct and indirect risks of global agrifood market disruptions.   Immediate food security implications are mainly regional, given the Middle East’s dependence on food imports, but are having immediate impacts on the purchasing power of already-vulnerable communities as energy and logistics costs rise.   At the same time, Gulf countries are major energy and fertilizer exporters, and continued transport disruptions could create wider spillover risks for global agrifood markets, the report warns.   Declining funding threatens response capacity   A major concern highlighted in this year’s report is the sharp decline in humanitarian and development financing for food crises. Funding for food crises responses and for food security and nutrition has fallen back to levels last seen nearly a decade ago, limiting the ability of humanitarian actors to respond effectively. Data collection has also been impacted, with fewer countries able to produce reliable and disaggregated food security and nutrition estimates.   Critical data gaps   The apparent decline in the number of people facing high levels of acute food insecurity is largely a reflection of declining data availability rather than a real improvement.   The 2026 GRFC features the lowest number of countries with data meeting technical requirements in a decade. In 2025, 18 countries and territories lacked comparable data, including several major crises such as Burkina Faso, the Republic of Congo and Ethiopia, which alone accounted for more than 27 million acutely food-insecure people in need of urgent assistance in 2024. This is reflected in the total number of people facing acute food insecurity detailed in the report.   While this number is lower than the number in last year’s report, it does not necessarily reflect an improvement in food security contexts, but rather an absence and lack of access to reliable data.   Call to action   The Global Network Against Food Crises underscores that food and nutrition crises are no longer temporary shocks but persistent, predictable, and increasingly concentrated in protracted contexts.   Addressing them requires boosting sustained, coordinated action that reduces humanitarian needs, builds resilience and tackles root causes. Governments, donors, international financial institutions and partners must scale up investment in resilient agrifood systems, climate adaptation, rural livelihoods and inclusive economic opportunities, while strengthening early warning systems and enabling anticipatory action.   Preventing the most severe outcomes, including famine, also depends on ensuring safe humanitarian access, upholding international humanitarian law, and reinforcing political commitment to address conflict-driven hunger.   * High levels of acute food insecurity refer to Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC)/ Cadre Harmonise (CH) Phase 3 or above or equivalent levels of acute food insecurity derived from IPC /CH and other acute food insecurity data sources listed in the report. The populations facing high levels of acute food insecurity are in need of urgent assistance.   http://www.fightfoodcrises.net/global-report-food-crises http://news.un.org/en/story/2026/04/1167374   Famine a harsh reality for children as acute hunger numbers double over past decade, by UNICEF spokesperson Ricardo Pires.   “The Global Report on Food Crises makes a stark point, that famine is no longer just a risk, it is a harsh reality children are living through right now.   “Chapter 3 of the report, on acute malnutrition, shows that today’s food crises are also deep nutrition crises, driven by conflict, displacement, and the collapse of essential services. This is made far worse by reductions in humanitarian and development funding.   “In 2025, an estimated 35.5 million children under the age of five were acutely malnourished across 23 affected countries. Nearly 10 million of these children are suffering from severe wasting, a condition that is life‑threatening, but entirely preventable and treatable.   “Children with severe wasting are too thin for their height, their immune systems weaken to the extent that ordinary childhood illnesses can become fatal, and their risk of dying increases by 12 times compared with well-nourished children.   “At the same time, 9.2 million pregnant and breastfeeding women were acutely malnourished. When women cannot meet their own nutritional needs, their babies face a higher risk of low birthweight, illness, and death – this, from the very start of their lives.   “Last year, for the first time in two decades, we had two famines declared at the same time – in Gaza and Sudan. In both contexts, children experienced far more than hunger. They faced the collapse of health, nutrition and water systems, severe disease outbreaks, and extreme constraints on humanitarian access.   “In Gaza, the report notes one of the fastest deteriorations in child nutrition ever recorded, with the number of acutely malnourished children more than doubling in a matter of months. These are not just numbers. These are young lives.   “I was there on mission exactly when famine was declared in 2025. What I saw inside health facilities is something I will never forget. Clinics were overflowing, corridors, waiting rooms, even stairwells filled with mothers and fathers clutching children whose bodies had been hollowed out by hunger.   “I met infants too weak to cry, their skin stretched thin over fragile bones, nurses weighing them again and again, hoping for a sign of improvement that rarely came. Parents were pleading—not for comfort, but for the simplest things: a sachet of therapeutic food, clean water, a chance.   “Health workers were doing everything they could, working without pause, but they were overwhelmed—short of supplies, short of space, short of time. This is what famine looks like in real life: not a statistic, but a slow, visible collapse of childhood, unfolding in overcrowded rooms where hope is rationed alongside food.   “In Sudan, famine was confirmed in areas where families were trapped, services had broken down, and children were increasingly cut off from lifesaving care. As you know, these are not isolated crises.   “Four places – Gaza, Sudan, Myanmar, and South Sudan – are classified as facing very severe nutrition crises, where children are exposed to a deadly convergence of poor diets, high disease burden, and they lack basic services. These are not inevitable, they are the result of choices.   “Across most nutrition crises in the report, acute malnutrition is driven not by food shortages” alone, but by the simultaneous failure of ensuring safe, unimpeded humanitarian access to food, health care, nutrition services and supplies, and safe water.   This is why children are becoming dangerously malnourished even where food is available.   “The outlook for 2026 is deeply worrying. Rising conflict, climate shocks, and global market disruptions threaten to push more children into acute malnutrition, just as nutrition services are being scaled back and access is becoming more restricted.   “For children, timing is everything. A child with severe acute malnutrition can die in weeks. With timely treatment, they can survive and recover. But the growing risk of famine requires investing in prevention, in addition to treatment for children.   “UNICEF’s message is clear:   Famine prevention must start earlier, before children reach the brink of death. We must invest in systems that enable early warnings. Response efforts must prioritize multi-sectoral lifesaving action combined with sustained political, diplomatic, and operational action to prevent further deterioration. And to secure safe, unimpeded humanitarian access.   And children, pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers must be at the centre of prevention and response efforts that link nutrition with health, water, sanitation, and social protection programmes.   “Finally, this report is also a warning on data. Early warning enables early action. Yet, nutrition data systems themselves are under threat from funding cuts and access constraints. Protecting these systems is essential to saving lives.   http://www.unicef.org/press-releases/famine-harsh-reality-children-acute-hunger-numbers-double-over-past-decade http://www.wfp.org/news/acute-food-insecurity-and-malnutrition-remain-alarmingly-high-crises-deepen-un-eu-and-partners http://www.unhcr.org/news/announcements/acute-food-insecurity-and-malnutrition-remain-alarmingly-high-crises-deepen-un Visit the related web page
	Social protection is a human right by WFP, Global Coalition for Social Protection Floors   Apr. 2026   Social Protection for Food Security and Nutrition - World Food Programme   This briefing argues for stronger investment in food security and nutrition-sensitive social protection to address worsening global hunger and malnutrition, which disproportionately affect women and children. It emphasizes that achieving nutrition security requires more than food access, including diet quality, care practices, health services, and water and sanitation.   While social protection programmes—such as cash transfers, food assistance, vouchers, and school meals—are proven to improve food security and can enhance nutrition outcomes, global coverage remains insufficient, with 3.8 billion people still lacking any form of protection.   Effective impact depends on adequate transfer levels, strong implementation, and integration with complementary services. Well-designed systems can also mitigate the effects of shocks such as conflict and climate crises when they are shock-responsive and coordinated with humanitarian responses.   The report highlights that financing nutrition-sensitive social protection should be viewed as an investment with high economic returns, rather than a cost: malnutrition generates an estimated USD 4 trillion in annual losses, while every USD 1 invested in nutrition can yield up to USD 23 in benefits and stimulate local economies.   However, progress is constrained by limited political commitment, low coverage, narrow programme design, and increasingly complex fiscal and risk environments. The report calls for expanded fiscal space, improved programme design focused on vulnerability, stronger monitoring systems, and alignment with global initiatives.   Overall, it promotes a forward-looking agenda that integrates nutrition, climate resilience, and human capital development, positioning nutrition-sensitive social protection as a central pillar for long-term wellbeing and sustainable growth.   Author: Stephen Devereux, Nicholas Nisbett, Kate Pruce (Institute of Development Studies) Giulia Baldi, Sara Bernardini, Thiago Borne Ferreira, Aleksandra Krajczynska, Juan Gonzalo Jaramillo Mejia, Nicoliene Oudwater, Cecilia Pampararo, Manucheher Shafee (World Food Programme).   http://www.wfp.org/publications/social-protection-food-security-and-nutrition-business-case-0 http://reliefweb.int/report/world/social-protection-food-security-and-nutrition-business-case   Social protection is a human right - Global Coalition for Social Protection Floors   Civil society organizations are crucial actors in social protection. NGOs and social movements, trade unions, associations, mutual-health insurance schemes, cooperatives or community-based organizations - all play an important role in delivering, advocating or monitoring social protection.   This is the case both for highly formalized welfare states and for countries, where social protection mechanisms are predominantly informal.   Civil society organizations are critical actors in the provision of social services addressing poverty, social exclusion and (health) care, complementing public service delivery or filling implementation gaps by the state or other actors.   They tend to provide support to groups where the state does not reach, such as people living in the streets or in prison. Their close engagement with communities and intimate knowledge of communities' needs and challenges in accessing social protection, makes them sought-after government partners for designing social protection policies and programs.   At the same time, they are an important mouthpiece for marginalized groups who otherwise would not have a platform for representation. They make sure that governments are held accountable for delivering sound and adequately financed social protection measures, defend their rights and interests or draw attention to their social and economic conditions, generating political and social pressure on governments or the international community for reforms.   The extent to which civil society organizations act upon these multiple roles depends on their specific objectives and varies across contexts. In established welfare states, as in the case of Germany, civil society organizations often occupy a recognized position within the welfare system. They have a contractual arrangement with the state largely substituting public service delivery while having an important advocacy function for social protection.   In low-income countries, civil society organizations often take over similar functions, without, however, benefiting from a recognized role or financial compensation in the social protection system.   For many, the service delivery role is predominant – often reinforced through government policies and funding and support strategies of international development partners and NGOs. This limits the potential of CSOs in defending, promoting and negotiating the right to social protection and its implementation.   This analysis seeks to deepen the understanding of the multiple functions of civil society in social protection and to highlight the importance of this diversity in strengthening social protection systems, also through providing examples from across the world.   It primarily addresses national and international civil society actors – both those who are already engaged in social protection and those who wish to do so, as well as government actors and development partners. While these arguments are not new, this paper draws attention to the underutilized potential of civil society actors in strengthening and safeguarding social protection systems.   This is of particular relevance against the current backdrop of the impending debt crisis, forced austerity and massive aid cuts which substantially reduce the fiscal space for civil society organizations, putting at risk the survival of many NGOs, in particular local and community-based organizations.   This development is often accompanied by a shrinking political and regulatory space of civil society organizations, including legal frameworks governing NGO funding and operations in various countries.   Social protection is a human right. Through a range of instruments and measures such as social health and pension insurance, cash transfer programs, and labor market policies it enables people to protect themselves against major life-cycle risks, including illness, unemployment, and poverty in old age. Social protection therefore makes a vital contribution to combating poverty, hunger and inequality...   http://www.socialprotectionfloorscoalition.org/2026/05/analysis-social-protection-what-role-for-civil-society/ http://gcap.global/news/hlpf-2026-side-event-highlights-universal-social-protection-floors-as-the-foundation-for-reducing-inequality-and-building-resilient-societies/ Visit the related web page
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