Halfway through 2023, scaling up our efforts against food crises

We are now halfway through a year marked by large, sudden-onset emergencies, including the Türkiye-Syria earthquake and the crisis in Sudan. Despite these crises contributing to the growing needs globally, humanitarian appeals were only 21% funded by mid-July, a situation similar to last year’s when funding gaps hit communities affected by food crises, notably in the Horn of Africa.

For many, the past few months have also served as a wake-up call about the climate emergency. People choked through wildfires’ smoke in Northern America, while communities in South Asia suffered through yet another historic heatwave. At a time when global hunger remains unacceptably high – as evidenced by the recent report on the State of the Food Security and Nutrition 2023 - it is urgent to act on climate, as one of the drivers, if we want to reach the global goal of zero hunger by 2030.

Vulnerable countries are not only hit hard by the climate emergency but also by the debt crisis. UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD) ’s recently published report showed that debt servicing is more unsustainable and expensive for low-income countries. These countries face the impossible choice of servicing their debt or serving their people. Contingency financing and debt restructuring are essential to help countries in crises strengthen sustainable food security.

And yet, amid this grim picture we are seeing glimmers of hope. From Niger to Somalia, women-led organizations are taking the lead in spearheading innovation. Local organizations are building climate resilience on the frontlines. They demonstrate the need for development and humanitarian partners to support change and communities to fight and prevent famine.

Food crises monitoring: countries to watch

The numbers of people facing emergency levels of food insecurity (IPC/CH Phase 4) and of countries with populations facing catastrophic conditions (IPC/CH Phase 5) have been increasing almost steadily since 2016. According to the latest famine and protracted IPC/CH Emergency analysis produced by the Global Network Against Food Crises , the most severe levels of acute food insecurity and acute malnutrition are found in parts of Afghanistan, Burkina Faso, Central African Republic, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Haiti, Kenya, Mali, Nigeria, South Sudan, Somalia, and Yemen. Over 10.3 million people in these areas are in Emergency (IPC/CH Phase 4), and 129,000 people are in Catastrophe (IPC/CH Phase 5) as of June 2023. Immediate action is critical in order to save lives and protect livelihoods, and prevent further deterioration into catastrophic conditions.

Famine prevention needs an all-hands on deck approach

The global food crisis was at the centre of the conversations at the 2023 Humanitarian Affairs Segment of the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC HAS), held from 21 to 23 June 2023 in Geneva.

The discussions provided an opportunity to discuss meaningful solutions to preventing famine. The importance of scaling up anticipatory action to save lives, and the criticality of local actors - particularly women-led organizations - in driving sustainable impact was highlighted throughout. Overall, the notion of not being to “humanitarian our way out of the current humanitarian situation” was prevalent, with a strong focus on the need for an all-hands-on-deck approach to preventing famine in 2023 through holistic solutions and resilient agri-food systems.

I had the chance to share my views at the High Level Panel on Food Security and the Risk of Famine and highlighted five areas for action, including on conflict prevention, climate adaption and economic interventions. I insisted on the need to put women at the centre of our efforts to combat these crises.

We can’t fight famine without gender equality

Gender equality is threatened by the current hunger emergency. There are now about 150 million more hungry women and girls than men, and the gender gap is increasing quickly.

A series of recent reports, including OCHA’s Gendered Drivers, Risks and Impacts of Food Insecurity, Plan's Beyond Hunger and FAO’s Status of Women in Agrifood Systems, lay bare the disproportionate impacts of the global hunger crisis on women and girls, including in the areas of education, gender-based violence, and sexual and reproductive health. At the same time. women are at the forefront of food security interventions, and climate adaptation efforts.

Despite their active role and crucial contributions in food systems and climate action, women often lack access to decision-making and leadership positions. To help address that, we organized a two-day workshop on Women and Girls Leading Against Hunger in partnership with the Royal Norwegian Embassy in Nairobi, Plan International , World Vision , the Women's Peace & Humanitarian Fund (WPHF) , and United Nations OCHA . Representatives from over 20 grassroots organizations from eight countries – all of them women, gathered in Nairobi to identify solutions to increase women and girls’ participation in the fight against food insecurity, share best practices and lessons learnt.

“Leadership is not given, it is negotiated and fought for. We need to fight for women’s leadership in fighting hunger,” said Celina Kathura from the Wiyukiririe Women Group in Kenya. In direct response to calls from civil society for more support for their efforts, the UN Women’s Peace and Humanitarian Fund announced the launch of its new global funding appeal to mobilize US$55 million in financing for local women-led and women’s rights civil society organizations working to respond to food insecurity in fragile settings.

Women and girls hold the key to fighting famine. We need to start listening to them and act.

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