NOTE: Following is a partial summary of today’s Security Council open debate on famine and conflict-induced food insecurity. A complete summary will be available later today after the conclusion of the afternoon meeting.
Briefings
REENA GHELANI, United Nations Famine Prevention and Response Coordinator, said that while the threat of famine – people starving slowly to death – must be a red line, amid the multiple challenges the world is facing today, the number of people suffering from acute food insecurity reached a quarter billion in 2022 – the highest recorded in recent years. Some 376,000 of them were facing faminelike conditions in seven countries and another 35 million people were on the edge, with women and children the most impacted. “It is a man-made crisis that has been swelling for years. We are now at a tipping point,” she warned, stressing that conflict and insecurity remain key drivers of hunger and famine. Each of the seven countries where people faced famine-like conditions in 2022 were affected by armed conflict or extreme levels of violence, and five of those seven countries – Afghanistan, Haiti, Somalia, South Sudan and Yemen – are regularly on the Security Council’s agenda.
Armed conflict destroys food systems, shatters livelihoods and drives people from their homes – leaving many extremely vulnerable and hungry – and all too often those impacts are inflicted deliberately and unlawfully, with hunger utilized as a tactic of war, she said. In 2022, dozens of humanitarian workers were killed and many more were kidnapped or injured in conflict situations, she reported, adding that humanitarian facilities and supplies also often come under attack, are looted, or used for military purposes. The difficulties the United Nations and its partners are facing in Sudan are a stark reminder, she said, offering her condolences to the families of the 11 humanitarian workers killed in Sudan in recent weeks. Food insecurity itself also fuels instability, and when coupled with pre-existing grievances, such as poverty, is “the straw that breaks the camel’s back”, often resulting in conflict. Of the 10 countries most vulnerable to climate-related risks, seven are affected by conflict, but insecurity hinders climate adaptation efforts there, she added.
Although the challenge may appear overwhelming, progress has been, and is again, possible, she emphasized, calling for redoubled efforts to prevent, reduce and end conflict in all its forms. There must be a renewed commitment to peace though a reinvigorated multilateral system where Governments, the United Nations and regional organizations work together. Outlining five things critical to reduce suffering and prevent famine, she underscored the need to ensure that parties to conflict respect international humanitarian law. The international community must make better use of existing early warning mechanisms such as resolution 2417 (2018) in a focused and effective manner, with effective follow-up and concerted action. She called for boldness and creativity in finding ways to mitigate the impact of war on the most vulnerable, emphasizing that women and girls must be at the centre of those efforts. A half-way, fragmented response to the interconnected risks will not cut it, she stressed, urging adequate humanitarian funding and measures to address the climate and economic crises.
The Secretary-General has prioritized the threat of famine and hunger, she said, noting that, among other initiatives, in 2021 he created a High-Level Task Force on Famine Prevention to lead and organize a cohesive system-wide response. Together with partners, it is in the process of reorientating that forum to provide dedicated support to countries, she said, calling on Member States for their support to that end. She recalled her visit to communities teetering on the brink of famine where she sat with mothers whose small children fought for their lives, even when they were too weak to cry or even make a sound. “That eerie silence is deafening. It never leaves you. That silence is also a call for action.” Quoting Martin Luther King in his Nobel Peace Prize lecture, she said: “Famine is wholly unnecessary in the modern world. […] There is no deficit in human resources; the deficit is human will.”
