On 12 September 2022, the Global Network Against Food Crises and the High-Level Task Force on Famine Prevention organized a virtual roundtable ahead of the UN General Assembly to raise awareness of the shocking levels of acute food insecurity, with expert panelists discussing how we can tackle these crises.

During the event, the Global Network Against Food Crises launched the Mid-year Update of the 2022 Global Report on Food Crises. This was followed by roundtable discussions on the situation on the ground in some of the worst affected countries, and on the solutions to halt and reverse the accelerating trend of acute hunger. Recommendations included how to promote actions needed to immediately avert and prevent famine, and demonstrate the importance of collective action, drawing on the experience of NGOs, civil society, member states, UN organizations and others.

Read the event's Outcomes Document summarizing the high-level take-aways.

You can also watch the entire recorded event on UN Web TV | FAO Webcast

See the conversation on Twitter at @FightFoodCrises using hashtags: #FightFamine and #FightFoodCrises.



Summary | Panel discussion on the situation in some of the worst hit countries

The panel discussion followed the presentation of the 2022 GRFC's Mid-Year Update, which shows the highest number of people in crisis or worse (IPC/CH Phase 3 or higher or equivalent) in 45 countries since GRFC's inception. The panel discussion focused on the situation in some of the most affected countries-Ethiopia, Somalia, Yemen, and Afghanistan-against the backdrop of the steady rise in acute hunger and the enormous need for immediate action to save lives. 

Panellists pointed out that the way we address hunger needs to be rethought, as famine can stem from a combination of multiple factors including war, insecurity, natural disasters, economic shocks, and poverty.

Panellists highlighted challenges in assisting people in the hardest-hit countries where famine is imminent. These include limited access to humanitarian assistance and lack of or imbalanced funding, which make it difficult to reach all those in need and at risk of starvation.

The interventions also addressed the immediate actions needed. These include: acting early based on data; scaling up humanitarian assistance and emergency agricultural interventions; adopting an integrated approach along the HDP nexus; advancing bilateral negotiations to ensure access to those in need; and implementing peace.

Panellists stressed the importance of increasing funding for early warning analysis and anticipatory measures, while investing more in medium- and long-term resilience building to address the root causes of food insecurity.

Speakers' quotes


Speakers

This online event features guest speakers participating in panel discussions about the current needs around the world, approaches, and solutions to address food crises.

Abdirahman Abdishakur

President’s Special Envoy for the Humanitarian and Drought Response, Somali Federal Parliament, leader of Wadajir Party.

Asuntha Charles

National Director, World Vision Afghanistan

Omar Castañeda Solares

Deputy Permanent Representative of Guatemala to the United Nations.

Michele Cervone d’Urso

Head of Division, Financing Instruments and International Cooperation European External Action Service (ECO.FIIC)

Mohanna Eljabaly

Associate Executive Director for Compliance and Development, Yemen Family Care Association (YFCA)

Comfort Ero

President and CEO, Crisis Group

Martin Griffiths

Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA)

Sara Pantuliano

Chief Executive at Overseas Development Institute (ODI) and Chair of the UN Secretary-General’s Seventh Advisory Group of the UN Peacebuilding Fund

Rein Paulsen

Director, Office of Emergencies and Resilience, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)

Shanda Steimer

Director of the Office of Technical and Program Quality, USAID Bureau for Humaniitariain Assistance (BHA)

Margot van der Velden

Emergency Director, United Nations World Food Programme (WFP)

Global Network's founding members: