FEWS NET is back online
25/6/2025: The Famine Early Warning Systems Network is officially back, having been halted as the Trump administration slashed nearly all US foreign aid. Widely regarded as the world’s most reliable early warning system for food insecurity, FEWS NET is expected to shift fully to the US State Department in the coming weeks.
Source: Devex
UN food agencies warn of extreme hunger in five countries
16/6/2025: A new joint UN report warns that people in Sudan, Palestine, South Sudan, Haiti and Mali face extreme hunger and risk of starvation and death in the coming months unless there is urgent humanitarian action.
Source: UN Food and Agriculture Organization
The risk of famine looms in multiple Sudanese counties
16/6/2025: Compounded by the civil war the food security situation in Sudan has become the worst hunger crisis in the world today. The World Food Programme estimates that 24.6 million people, or half of the population, is acutely food insecure.
Source: Inter Press Service
China’s new pledge to curb illegal fishing
23/5/2025: China has joined the legally binding UN Agreement on Port State Measures and will be required to deny entry to vessels suspected of illegal activity. West Africa's fishing sector has been taken over by foreign-controlled vessels.
Source: Dialogue Earth
Acute food insecurity and malnutrition rise for sixth consecutive year
16/5/2025: In 2024, over 295 million people across 53 countries and territories faced acute hunger, according to the Global Report on Food Crises. The number of people facing catastrophic hunger more than doubled over the same period to reach 1.9 million, the highest on record since 2016.
Source: Reliefweb
Famine stalks Gaza as Israel blocks aid at the border
14/5/2025: The entire population of Gaza, or 2.1 million people, is facing severe and prolonged food shortages, with 1 in 5 now on the brink of starvation, as Israel blocks aid from entering the territory. Gaza already meets the first threshold to trigger a formal declaration of famine, and humanitarian officials warn it is on the edge of the two others.
Source: Devex
World Food Programme to cut up to 30% of staff
25/4/2025: The US contributed 46% of the World Food Programme’s budget in 2024. Drastic cuts in funding through USAID in recent months have pushed the organization to reduce its operations. This comes as hunger crises escalate around the world, especially in conflict hot spots such as Sudan and Gaza.
Source: Devex
As famine data dries up, can AI step in?
17/4/2025: Researchers are developing AI tools to predict famine more accurately and affordably. The dismantling of USAID has already shuttered FEWS NET, the gold standard for forecasting food crises.
Source: Devex
UN food agency caught in Trump administration’s crosshairs
11/4/2025: The UN Food and Agriculture Organization has been ordered by the Trump administration to halt initiatives that do not align with an “America First” foreign policy. The US cannot accept any focus on climate in FAO’s work and no longer affirms the UN Sustainable Development Goals or any agenda for achieving them by 2030.
Source: Devex
Highest recorded incidence of acute food insecurity in DRC
27/3/2025: UN food agencies report that an alarming 28 million people in the Democratic Republic of the Congo are now facing acute hunger, including 3.9 million experiencing emergency levels of hunger. Conflict, economic instability and surging food prices are contributory factors.
Source: World Food Programme