110^th meeting of the Committee on Agriculture
26-27 November 2024

ANNUAL MONITORING OF THE FOLLOW-UP TO THE
MARRAKESH MINISTERIAL DECISION

Submission by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)

The following submission, dated 22 November 2024, is being circulated at the request of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

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1  BACKGROUND

1.1.  According to The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (SOFI) report[1], global hunger, measured by the prevalence of undernourishment (PoU) (SDG indicator 2.1.1), has stayed relatively unchanged for three consecutive years, remaining far above pre-pandemic levels. In 2023, about 733 million people (9.1% of the global population) faced chronic hunger, up from 581 million people (7.5%) in 2019. Trends at the regional level vary significantly. Hunger continues to rise in Africa, remains relatively unchanged in Asia, and shows notable progress in Latin America. Africa has the highest proportion of its population facing hunger (20.4%), compared to Asia (8.1%), Latin America and the Caribbean (6.2%), and Oceania (7.3%). Projections indicate that by the end of the decade, 582 million people will still be chronically undernourished, highlighting the significant challenge of eradicating hunger. This represents an estimated 130 million more undernourished individuals than in a pre-COVID-19 economic scenario.

1.2.  The SOFI report further reveals that, after a significant increase from 2019 to 2020, the prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity[2] remains significantly above pre-pandemic levels, with minimal change over four years. In 2023, an estimated 28.9% of the global population (2.33 billion people) were moderately or severely food insecure, meaning they did not have regular access to adequate food. The prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity stayed virtually unchanged in Africa, Asia, and Northern America and Europe from 2022 to 2023, while it worsened in Oceania and improved in Latin America.

1.3.  Further to that, the 2024 edition of the Global Report on Food Crises (GRFC)[3] reported that approximately 281.6 million people across 59 countries or territories experienced high levels of acute food insecurity in 2023, an increase of 24 million since 2022, marking the fifth consecutive year of increases.[4] According to the mid-year update of the GRFC[5], the number of people facing or projected to face Catastrophe (IPC/CH Phase 5) surged from 705,000 in five countries in 2023 to 1.9 million in four countries or territories in 2024, the highest level recorded in GRFC reporting. According to the study, this was driven primarily by conflict in the Gaza Strip and Sudan.

1.4.  Finally, the latest joint report Hunger Hotspots: FAO–WFP early warnings on acute food insecurity[6], released on 31 October 2024, warns that acute food insecurity is set to increase in both magnitude and severity across 22 countries and territories[7] from November 2024 to May 2025. Specifically, the report highlights that the La Niña weather pattern is expected to further exacerbate some food crises. In fact, while some regions may benefit from improved agricultural conditions, La Niña is likely to cause floods in many Net Food-Importing Developing Countries (NFIDCs) such as South Sudan and potentially contribute to dry conditions in Somalia, Kenya, and Ethiopia. The report also draws attention to the famine in North Darfur and the risk of famine in other areas of Sudan, the ongoing threat of famine in Palestine (Gaza Strip), and the catastrophic levels of acute food insecurity in certain NFIDCs such as Haiti, Mali, and South Sudan.

1.5.  The report warns that, without immediate intervention, including increased funding for food and livelihoods assistance, hundreds of thousands more people are expected to face starvation in the coming months.