ECOSOC HAS side-event on The urgent need to address famine risks and acute food insecurity: how can we rapidly avert and prevent current and future food crises?

Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen 

Welcome to today’s event and thank you for joining us to discuss this very timely and important topic. 

The latest edition of the Global Report on Food Crises showed that acute food insecurity continues to increase and intensify, with more than 280 million people experiencing acute hunger in 2023.  

And the situation in 2024 continues to be concerning. According to the latest Hunger Hotspots FAO–WFP early warning report, acute food insecurity is likely to deteriorate further in 18 hunger hotspots between June and October 2024. 

Right now, in five countries, people are in or may soon face catastrophic food insecurity – or IPC Phase 5. Those are Mali, Palestine, South Sudan, Haiti and the Sudan.  

Acute food insecurity hits rural areas the hardest. The reality is that food producers are the ones going hungry. At least two-thirds of those facing acute food insecurity are rural people.  

However, just 4 percent of humanitarian aid is allocated to protect agricultural livelihoods. This must change. 

Acute food insecurity is driven by a combination of conflict, climate extremes and economic crises, which worsen existing vulnerabilities, and leave people and their livelihoods even more exposed. 

Unless we address these drivers, sudden shocks may plunge a country into recurrent famine cycles – as we have seen in too many countries. 

Experience in Somalia, Yemen and Madagascar in recent years shows us that when the international community pulls together, famine can be averted.  

However, once a famine is declared or imminent, it is too late.  

Business as usual is no longer enough when it comes to mitigating and preventing famine.  

Achieving SDG 2 will not be possible without innovative thinking and cooperation.   

And here I want to commend the work done by the Global Network Against Food Crises – particularly around data and solutions to address acute food insecurity. 

If we are to meet our commitments under SDG 2 and leave no one behind, there are three steps we must collectively take:  

One, we need to rethink how we use resources. This is about approach, priorities and efficiency. 

Two, we must reduce humanitarian needs by investing in emergency agriculture interventions that allow people to produce their own food, protect their livelihoods and lay the foundation for self-reliance.  

And three, we must invest in resilient agrifood systems to address the root causes of acute food insecurity. Thank you and I look forward to our discussion.