Earlier this year, the ’s food and nutrition support reached 1.3 million people in northern Nigeria. Without an immediate influx in donations, only half that will be assisted in August.
WFP
At the , leaders are spotlighting school meals as vital for improving nutrition, boosting local economies, and advancing education across Latin America and the Caribbean.
Drought, conflict, and floods have displaced millions in Somalia, forcing families like Farhia Ali’s to leave farms for uncertain lives in overcrowded, under-resourced urban camps, where funding cuts deepen hunger and hardship.
Impoverished communities in Palestine (Gaza), Haiti, Mali, South Sudan and Sudan are at risk of famine or already facing catastrophic conditions of acute food insecurity at IPC Phase 5 – the most life-threatening level on the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification – according to the latest UN report. Published jointly twice a year by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Food Programme (WFP), the report confirms deepening crises in countries such as the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Myanmar, Syria, Yemen and – in a new entry to the list – Nigeria, another country where critical emergency food assistance has faced unprecedented cuts.
Learn more about this rare and deadliest form of hunger, which is spreading in Sudan and threatens Gaza and elsewhere – and how is fighting it.
With funding cuts worsening food insecurity in Afghanistan, one in five people now needs emergency aid, as women and children face rising malnutrition and shrinking food assistance, warns WFP.
The darkest moments for Nyanene Gatdoor come when her 2-year-old son Tuach sobs from hunger. “When the baby is crying in front of you, and you have nothing to give him, you feel pain in your heart,” says the 25-year-old mother of 3.
People in Gaza are at risk of starvation, with all aid blocked from entering since 2 March. A report by 17 United Nations agencies and NGOs released last week says 470,000 people face – level 5 on the , the global standard for measuring food insecurity. It also projects that 71,000 children and more than 17,000 pregnant and breastfeeding women will need urgent treatment for acute malnutrition. Three World Food Programme (WFP) staff members share their perspectives: two who visited Deir el-Balah, in the heart of Gaza, in May, and one from Gaza herself.
Restoring degraded ecosystems in Africa is crucial for food security, with WFP’s initiatives like the Livelihood Assets & Resilience Academy building Zimbabwe's local expertise to scale sustainable growth.
Frustrations intensify as blocks vital food deliveries to 30,000 people in La Saline, where access to basic services is almost non-existent.
With support, Sudanese refugees in Birao, Central African Republic, are finding stability through food aid, farming, and education after fleeing conflict.
Since the began in 2011, over 75% of the country's 10.5 million children have been born into a war-torn environment. Many now face severe consequences, including rising malnutrition rates and inadequate access to essential nutrients. Historically, Syria had no significant child malnutrition issues, but prolonged conflict, economic collapse, and recent crises have drastically changed this. Currently, 9.1 million people are food insecure, and the has significantly reduced assistance due to funding shortages. Child malnutrition rates from 1.7% in 2019 to 4.8% today, with some coastal areas experiencing rates as high as 14%. Additionally, malnutrition among pregnant and breastfeeding women has surged, posing serious health risks for both mothers and their children.
As Sudan enters its third year of war, hunger has reached catastrophic levels. Famine has been confirmed in 10 areas, and 17 others are at risk. Millions of people like Abu Sufian and his family are on the move, crowded into temporary shelters before fighting uproots them once again. In a nation where nearly half the population is hungry, the World Food Programme () assistance is sometimes the only barrier against starvation. Over 13 million people across Sudan have received WFP assistance over the two years since fighting erupted. But even as the WFP aims to scale up its support to reach seven million people a month by mid-year, it faces severe funding and access constraints. “Without immediate assistance, especially in famine or famine-risk areas, thousands of lives are at risk," says Makena Walker, WFP's Acting Country Director in Sudan.
A combination of poverty, conflict, and extreme weather has led to 1.9 million people facing starvation, with 343 million in 74 countries experiencing acute hunger, as reported by the World Food Programme (). WFP’s fleet of trucks, ships, and planes delivers lifesaving food assistance daily to millions. Central to WFP's mission is its supply chain, which plans, procures, and transports food to those in remote and challenging environments, including conflict zones like the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Haiti, Myanmar, Sudan, and the Gaza Strip. Data-driven decision-making is crucial for efficient planning and delivery. WFP collaborates with partners to enhance supply-chain excellence and respond swiftly to crises. In 2024, over 4,600 supply chain staff—90 percent in the field—worked tirelessly to assist 152 million people in need. But how does the supply chain work?
World Food Programme is swiftly mobilizing to assist , despite ongoing humanitarian challenges.