UN agencies warn of famine for millions, appeal for more funding
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A mother and son lifting a heavy bag of maize into their wheelbarrow at a displaced persons camp in South Sudan on Nov 6.
PHOTO: AFP
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ROME – Millions more risk famine in at least a dozen crisis spots around the world, including Sudan and Gaza, two UN agencies warned on Nov 12, appealing for funds to address a shortfall amid global cuts to international aid.
In a joint report, the World Food Programme (WFP) and the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) also listed Haiti, Mali, South Sudan and Yemen as countries facing “an imminent risk of catastrophic hunger”, meaning famine.
It said the hunger situation in six more countries – Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Myanmar, Nigeria, Somalia and Syria – was considered to be of “very high concern”.
Against this backdrop, funding shortfalls for humanitarian aid “are crippling emergency responses, forcing deep ration cuts and reducing access to food for the most vulnerable groups with refugee food assistance at a breaking point”, the WFP and FAO said.
Calling for more help from governments and other donors, the WFP and FAO said that as at the end of October, only US$10.5 billion (S$13.7 billion) had been received out of the estimated US$29 billion needed to assist people most at risk.
“Famine prevention is not just a moral duty – it is a smart investment in long-term peace and stability,” FAO director-general Qu Dongyu said. “Peace is a prerequisite for food security, and the right to food is a basic human right.”
The US, the top donor to both UN agencies in 2024, has slashed its foreign aid under President Donald Trump, and other major nations have also made or announced cuts in development and humanitarian assistance. REUTERS
