ASIATODAY.ID, ROME — The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has issued one of its most urgent global calls as it launches its first-ever Global Emergency and Resilience Appeal, seeking US$2.5 billion to save more than 100 million people trapped in acute food crises across 54 countries and territories in 2026.
Of this number, 30.5 million people are in the Asia-Pacific region, making it one of the world’s most critical hotspots.
The appeal was announced on the sidelines of the 179th FAO Council Session, underscoring the need for a major shift in how the world responds to worsening global food emergencies. FAO emphasizes that emergency agricultural interventions and resilience-building efforts are essential to reducing long-term dependence on humanitarian aid.
FAO Director-General QU Dongyu warned that the global situation is becoming increasingly precarious.
“Acute food insecurity has tripled since 2016 despite high levels of humanitarian funding. The current model cannot keep up with present realities,” he said on December 3, 2025.
According to him, ensuring that farmers remain able to produce food is the most effective way to safeguard supply chains, stabilize communities, and create sustainable pathways toward long-term resilience.
Dongyu also conveyed a clear message from young people living in crisis zones: they do not want permanent aid — they want opportunities and real solutions. This global appeal, he stressed, is designed to meet those demands, grounded in field realities, member-state needs, and cost-efficiency principles.
Asia-Pacific in Peril: Why the Situation Is Urgent
The Asia-Pacific region — including Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Pakistan, the Philippines, and Timor-Leste — requires US$521.6 million from FAO’s total appeal. The region is battered by protracted conflicts, economic crises, extreme climate events, natural disasters, and global food price shocks.
FAO warns that failing to respond could deepen social fragility, trigger mass displacement, and worsen extreme poverty.
Breaking the Cycle of Aid Dependence
FAO highlights a critical reality:
80% of people facing acute food insecurity live in rural areas and depend on agriculture, livestock, fisheries, or forestry.
Yet only 5% of global humanitarian funding goes directly to agricultural livelihoods.
This gap fuels recurring cycles of crisis, especially in conflict-affected or climate-vulnerable nations such as Sudan, South Sudan, Afghanistan, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
FAO urges greater use of anticipatory action and low-cost, high-impact interventions such as: timely seed distribution, livestock vaccination campaigns, livelihood restoration, basic infrastructure rehabilitation, cash assistance, strengthening local markets.
These measures deliver benefit–cost ratios of up to 7:1 — meaning every US$1 invested saves US$7 in future survival needs.
How the US$2.5 Billion Will Be Used
1. Emergency Interventions – US$1.5 Billion (60 million people)
Seeds and agricultural tools
Livestock health campaigns
Livelihood restoration
Cash assistance
2. Resilience Programming – US$1 Billion (43 million people)
Climate-smart agrifood solutions
Water infrastructure
Market access strengthening
Food system restoration
3. Global Services – US$70 Million
Data and evidence systems
Food chain threat monitoring
Anticipatory action
Humanitarian–development–peace coordination
Regional Needs Breakdown
Asia-Pacific: US$521.6 million (30.5 million people)
Near East & North Africa: US$519.1 million (29.2 million people)
Eastern Africa: US$471.6 million (18.4 million people)
West & Central Africa: US$593.4 million (17.7 million people)
Southern Africa: US$179.6 million (5.3 million people)
Latin America & the Caribbean: US$111.9 million (1.3 million people)
Europe (Ukraine): US$64.7 million (358,713 people)
FAO: The World Cannot Wait for Hunger to Escalate
FAO stresses that this appeal is not merely a funding request — it is a global commitment to safeguarding food production and preventing a wider humanitarian disaster.
“This global appeal reflects the new FAO — faster, leaner, and more effective,” said QU Dongyu.
Behind every statistic, FAO reminds the world, are families fighting to protect their dignity and future. (AT Network)
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