FAO-WFP Joint Monthly Briefings on the global food security situation

On 3 February, FAO and WFP organized a joint briefing aiming at presenting the major findings of the Hunger Hotspots Report and giving an update on the food security situation in Afghanistan.

The Report, issued on 28 January, shows a soaring acute food insecurity in hunger hotspots where conflict, economic shocks, natural hazards and limited humanitarian access are putting millions of people at risk. This joint FAO/WFP triannual report on hunger hotspots, covering the period from February to May 2022, provides an early warning analysis complemented by country-specific recommendations for early actions and rapid response. As 2022 begins, 20 hotspots of hunger are projected globally. Ethiopia, Nigeria, South Sudan and Yemen remain the most critical situations, where famine-like conditions are already present or were projected. The report also identifies other countries of particular concern including Afghanistan, Kenya, Myanmar, Somalia, Sudan, and the Sahel region, of which Mauritania is a new entry in the category since the July 2021 edition.

According to the latest IPC issued in October 2021, 22.8 million of Afghan people, or 55 percent of the population, are in IPC Phase 3 or above. This includes almost 9 million in IPC Phase 4, one step away from famine. Both FAO and WFP stressed the unprecedented scale of the crisis and underscored that without food and livelihood assistance, the recovery of the economy and restoration of basic services, the situation in Afghanistan will continue to deteriorate. The outlook going forward is not good. La Niña-drought-induced conditions are one of the key drivers of this deteriorating situation. The event is expected to continue through to spring and is already affecting precipitation levels across the country. This could contribute to reduced agricultural production, livestock losses, and further eroded families coping mechanisms which are already suffering from the 2021 drought.