Understanding the Concept of Hunger
Hunger is defined as the physical and psychological distress arising from insufficient intake of dietary energy, particularly when people do not consume enough calories and essential nutrients to support normal, active, and healthy lives on a consistent basis. It represents a spectrum, ranging from transient sensations of hunger to chronic deprivation that results in severe health consequences. Hunger is broadly categorized into three main types: acute hunger (often equated with famine), chronic hunger (persistent undernourishment), and hidden hunger (micronutrient deficiencies which may not show immediate, visible symptoms but result in long-term health issues, especially in children). The global definition of hunger encompasses not only the absence of food but also the lack of sufficient nutrients required for healthy development and function.
The Scale and Measurement of Global Hunger
The extent of hunger worldwide is measured using several indicators. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) uses the Prevalence of Undernourishment (PoU), which estimates the percentage of the population whose habitual food consumption falls below their dietary energy requirements. The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) further classifies hunger emergencies into five phases, with Phase 5 representing famine or catastrophe. The Global Hunger Index (GHI) provides a composite score based on undernourishment, child wasting, child stunting, and child mortality, allowing for comparison between countries and over time.
Countries with Alarming Hunger Levels (2024 GHI Provisional Rankings)
Somalia 42.5
South Sudan 42.5
Burundi 42.5
Yemen 39.9
Chad 34.6
Madagascar 41.0
The Most Concerning Issues Driving Hunger in These Countries
Armed Conflict and Political Instability
Ongoing conflict is the principal driver of hunger in countries such as South Sudan, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen, and Chad. Armed conflict destroys livelihoods, disrupts markets and agricultural production, restricts humanitarian access, and forces millions to flee their homes, plunging entire communities into food crises. In Sudan and South Sudan, civil wars have repeatedly displaced millions, contributing to widespread famine and making humanitarian operations extremely hazardous.
Climate Shocks and Environmental Extremes
Climate change has intensified cycles of drought, floods, and unpredictable weather, particularly in Somalia, Madagascar, Chad, and Sudan. For instance, Somalia has cycled between prolonged drought and catastrophic flooding, both of which devastate crops and livestock, reduce food availability, and trigger mass movements of people in search of food and safe water. Madagascar faces repeated droughts, while Chad has suffered both drought and flooding, undermining subsistence agriculture on which most people rely.
Economic Crisis and Poverty
Pervasive poverty, inflation, currency devaluation, unemployment, and soaring food prices have compounded hunger, particularly in Yemen, Sudan, and Burundi. In Yemen, more than 80% of the population now lives below the poverty line, and food prices rose by 45% in 2024 alone, rendering essential staples out of reach for millions. Economic shocks due to conflict, global supply disruptions, and the COVID-19 pandemic have further limited families’ purchasing power.
Market Disruption and Food Insecurity
Many hunger-affected countries heavily rely on food imports, which become inaccessible during conflict or crises. Yemen, for instance, imports 90% of its wheat; when its main port faces blockades, food prices soar, leading to acute shortages. In Somalia, disruptions caused by war in Ukraine and other global shocks sharply increased input and food prices, driving food inflation beyond affordability for poor households.
People in famine-affected regions employ several survival strategies to cope with acute food scarcity:
Reducing Meal Frequency or Quantity: Families may eat once a day or skip meals altogether to stretch limited food supplies, often prioritizing children over adults.
Relying on Wild Foods: When food stores are depleted, some turn to foraging for wild roots, fruits, or leaves, even though these are nutritionally inadequate.
Selling Assets or Livestock: To purchase food, families may sell productive assets, leading to deeper poverty.
Migration: Many people flee conflict zones or drought-stricken regions in search of food, humanitarian assistance, and safer living conditions.
Hunger and Malnutrition-Related Mortality
Despite individual and societal coping mechanisms, millions cannot survive under extreme hunger. In 2024, the number of people experiencing catastrophic hunger more than doubled, with Sudan and Gaza as epicenters, followed by Somalia, South Sudan, and Burkina Faso. In Sudan, famine has been declared in several areas, with reports of up to 100 deaths per day due to starvation in some camps, and over half the country’s population is now facing acute food insecurity. Child mortality is especially high; malnourished children are 11 times more likely to die than well-nourished peers, most commonly from preventable diseases exacerbated by a lack of food. Somalia’s child mortality under age five is among the highest globally, with more than one in ten not surviving to their fifth birthday.
United Nations Institutions Active in the Hardest-Hit Countries
Key UN Institutions and Their Roles
A network of United Nations agencies leads the fight against hunger in these critical countries, implementing both immediate humanitarian relief and long-term resilience strategies:
World Food Programme (WFP): WFP delivers emergency food aid, runs nutrition programs (especially for children under five and pregnant women), provides school feeding, implements cash-based transfers, and supports infrastructure for food storage and distribution.
UNICEF: UNICEF provides nutrition services, safe water, sanitation, health care, child protection, and leads the supply of ready-to-use therapeutic food for treating acute malnutrition in children, particularly in settings like South Sudan, Chad, Somalia, and Yemen.
Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO): FAO works to strengthen sustainable agricultural production, support smallholder farmers, restore livelihoods, improve food systems, and build resilience to climate shocks in crisis-prone countries.
UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees): UNHCR provides food assistance, cash support, livelihoods projects, and protection for refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs), who make up a significant percentage of hunger-affected populations in Chad, Sudan, Somalia, and Yemen.
IFAD (International Fund for Agricultural Development): IFAD collaborates with WFP to invest in rural agriculture, support climate-adaptive livelihoods, and facilitate smallholder farmers’ market access.
Implementation of SDG 2: Zero Hunger
All these UN agencies align their strategies with Sustainable Development Goal 2—Zero Hunger—aiming to end hunger, achieve food security, improve nutrition, and promote sustainable agriculture by 2030. Their key interventions include:
Emergency Assistance: Delivering life-saving food and nutrition support to the most vulnerable, particularly in acute crises.
Nutrition Treatment and Prevention: Diagnosing and treating acute malnutrition, distributing therapeutic foods, and supporting maternal and child nutrition through community outreach and health facilities.
Agricultural Rehabilitation: Providing seeds, tools, and technical assistance to smallholder farmers, restoring productive assets, and promoting climate-smart agricultural techniques.
Social Protection and Resilience Building: Implementing cash transfer programs and supporting national social protection strategies to enable families to withstand shocks and avoid negative coping mechanisms.
Capacity Building and Policy Support: Working with governments to strengthen food systems, develop inclusive policies, and enhance crisis preparedness and response capabilities.
Promoting School Meals and Child Protection: Sustaining educational attendance through school feeding programs and integrating child protection into all nutrition and food security interventions.
Impact and Challenges in Achieving Zero Hunger
Despite concerted humanitarian and development efforts, the global hunger crisis remains severe, exacerbated by conflict, climate change, and economic instability; resources for interventions often fall short of needs, forcing agencies to prioritize only the most critical cases. However, UN-led programs have repeatedly demonstrated that with adequate funding and cooperation, it is possible to reverse famine trends, save millions of lives, and build foundations for future food security. UN agencies continue to advocate for greater political will, sustainable financing, and the integration of peacebuilding with food programs to address the root causes of hunger and realize SDG 2.
UN Agencies, Key Approaches, and SDG 2 Alignment
WFP Emergency food, nutrition, cash, school meals, livelihoods Direct relief, nutrition improvement, resilience
UNICEF Nutrition, health, WASH, child protection Reduces malnutrition, improves child survival
FAO Sustainable agriculture, livelihood, technical guidance Supports food production, systems transformation
UNHCR Food/cash for refugees & IDPs, protection Food security for displaced, inclusion in SDG actions
IFAD Rural investment, smallholder integration Rural resilience, climate adaptation, poverty reduction
Conclusion
Hunger remains a stark challenge in countries wracked by conflict, climate shocks, and economic instability, namely Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Yemen, Chad, Burundi, and Madagascar, where millions continue to face daily food insecurity and survival threats. While UN institutions play pivotal roles in immediate relief and long-term development, achieving SDG 2: Zero Hunger requires sustained commitment, increased resources, innovative approaches, and the global community’s resolve to address the political and structural causes fueling hunger in the most vulnerable regions.
