Famine in Conflict Zones

ECOSOC: Food and Agriculture Organization

Topic: Famine in Conflict Zones

As one of the three Rome-based agencies within the United Nations system that focus on food security, agriculture, and nutrition, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has a broad mandate to help eliminate hunger worldwide. Conflict zones are areas of particular concern. Violent conflict is, according to the FAO, “a primary driver of forced displacement, [a] factor contributing to heightened food insecurity”.

According to the widely used Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) system, famine is the “extreme deprivation of food.” Famine is characterized by an “absolute inaccessibility of food to an entire population or sub-group of a population, potentially causing death in the short term.” The FAO and other organizations rely on the IPC’s five-phase standardized scale to measure food insecurity and to identify areas where food emergencies and famine conditions are likely to occur. The IPC scale provides an internationally recognized way for governments, civil society actors, and other stakeholders to discuss food insecurity using agreed upon terminology.

At present, the IPC identifies upwards of 168 million people experiencing a food crisis or worse. Conflict zones in Afghanistan, Myanmar, Pakistan, Sudan, Yemen, and the territory of the State of Palestine known as the Gaza Strip comprise the most food insecure regions. In addition, the conflict in Ukraine has dramatically reduced that country’s ability to export its surplus grain, raising prices for necessary commodities and reducing the amount of emergency food aid available for delivery to other regions suffering prolonged hunger. Alleviating famine in conflict zones will require delegates to understand the root causes as well as past efforts by the FAO and other agencies, governments, Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), and civil society groups.

The FAO alone cannot solve ongoing conflicts. That task rests with the Security Council and other UN bodies. Instead, the committee will need to focus on how to overcome acute hunger in these regions. The committee should aim to craft solutions that tackle the issue directly and look for ways governments might cooperate with NGOs and civil society groups via so-called public-private partnerships. It is important to understand the potential costs involved and be ready to identify viable funding sources such as various philanthropic organizations.

Research Links:
FAO Response to Global Food Security Challenges
https://www.fao.org/in-focus/policy-proposals/en

The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC)
https://www.ipcinfo.org/

Addressing Global Food Insecurity and Famine Risk – A UN Webcast
https://webtv.un.org/en/asset/k1l/k1lvaa0y94

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