Civil insecurity & conflicts remain the driving factor behind the increase of undernourished in the region
“Distress on livelihoods in many parts of the region, including Syria, Yemen, Iraq, Gaza, is very high and vulnerable communities are paying the price for situations of instability and conflict in the first place. Accessibility and affordability of food is a key issue for millions of affected people. Humanitarian action and efforts to build resilience and achieve peace and stability must go hand in hand if we want to avert even deeper crises and restore basic conditions for any development” said Carlo Scaramella WFP Deputy Director for North Africa, Middle East, Central Asia and Eastern Europe.
Recent FAO and WFP estimates show that within Syria 6.3 million people are highly vulnerable and in critical need of sustained food and agricultural assistance and more than 3 million refugees are in need of assistance outside Syria. The protracted political, economic and social crisis in Yemen has taken a heavy toll on food security: 10.6 million people are in need of food assistance, 5 of whom are severely food insecure. In Gaza, already before the seven-week conflict, a staggering 72 percent of families were food insecure or vulnerable to food insecurity, and 70 percent lived on less than USD2 per day. In Iraq, where in 1990-92 only 8 percent of its population was undernourished, the prevalence of undernourishment stands now at 23 percent.
“But this does not mean that we shall lose our hopes, on the opposite. As highlighted in the SOFI 2014 report, if stability and political commitment backed by actionable programmes and resources are in place, advances in the achievement of food security are not only possible but can actually happen in a short period of the time. ” stated Mr. Abdessalam Ould Ahmed, FAO Assistant Director General and Regional Representative for the North Africa and the Near East. “.
SOFI 2014 highlights this year how access to food has improved rapidly and significantly in countries that have experienced overall economic progress.
Creating an enabling environment through coordinated actions
With the number of undernourished people remaining “unacceptably high”, FAO and WFP representatives stressed the need to renew the political commitment and coordinate regional efforts to tackle undernourishment.
“Food insecurity and malnutrition are complex problems that need to be tackled through an integrated and coordinated approach” they stated, and appealed for regional and international solidarity in support of refugees, displaced and vulnerable populations in the region.
In February 2014, during the 32nd session of the FAO Regional Conference for the Near East, member countries of the region endorsed a regional food security strategy that outlines key policy actions at national, regional and international levels to improve accessibility and affordability of food for the region’s population. “Coordinated regional efforts can support national action to achieve food security. Regional efforts are gaining momentum and countries in the region are strengthening their efforts to achieve food security, despite and beyond the current situation.” Mr. Ould Ahmed added.
FAO and WFP are currently supporting millions of families affected by the humanitarian crisis providing food assistance and improve abilities of affected families to cope with and recover from the crisis.
The State of Food insecurity in the World is a flagship report published annually by the by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the World Food Programme (WFP).
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