Gender inequality is a major cause and effect of hunger and poverty, with women and girls comprising 60 percent of the global hungry.

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused huge economic disruptions that affect food and nutrition security in many low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).

A food insecurity crisis is a health crisis, with a last- ing impact on the health of the displaced community. Health risks increase while access to healthcare is restricted. A significant increase in global and severe acute malnutrition among children in many internally displaced people (IDPs) and refugee settings has been recorded.

Throughout 2022 levels of food insecurity have continued to increase in Eastern Africa, with 82 million people who are suffering from hunger. In South Sudan, approximately 6.6 million people – or over half of South Sudan’s population – are projected to experience high levels of acute food insecurity between October and November 2022.

With the changing risk landscape, it is nothing but imperative that the capacity strengthening efforts are evolved to be a continuous and dynamic process so that the humanitarian structures are constantly updated and strengthened to meet any sudden or emerging humanitarian need.

The drought in the Greater Horn of Africa (GHoA) is predicted to continue into the late annual rainy season (Figure 1). For the first time in 40 years, four consecutive seasons of below-normal rains have been recorded in the GHoA countries.

Recent years have witnessed a growing political commitment to addressing West Africa’s high rates of maternal and child malnutrition. Despite this commitment, West Africa is not on track to achieve World Health Assembly (WHA) targets. There is a need for appropriate policy choices and program actions to generate sustained change at scale.

As many as 41.5 crore people exited poverty in India during the 15-year period between 2005-06 and 2019-21, out of which two-thirds exited in the first 10 years, and one-third in the next five years, according to this global Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI).

World hunger levels are reaching catastrophic proportions, with 44 countries suffering with serious or alarming levels of hunger, according to this 2022 Global Hunger Index.

A leading economist recently stated that food security may be the defining global challenge of the Century. And in underscoring the importance of social protection, the head of an international organization declared that must recognize, share, scale up and build on these successful measures.

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