New York , Oct. 3 (SANA) About 11.7 million additional women and girls could face food insecurity in 28 countries by the end of this year as escalating conflict in the Middle East and disruptions around the Strait of Hormuz drive up food prices and damage livelihoods in the region and beyond, UN Women said in a new report on Friday.
Under a moderate scenario, about 22 million additional people could face food insecurity, with women and girls accounting for 53% of them, the UN agency said, citing its report.
This would add to about 208 million women and girls already experiencing food insecurity or malnutrition across the countries covered by the report.
“Countries with the largest populations have the greatest absolute numbers of women and girls who may face food insecurity,” UN Women Deputy Executive Director Nyaradzayi Gumbonzvanda told reporters in Geneva.
She said countries including South Sudan, Sudan, Haiti, Yemen and Palestine face more concentrated risks because of overlapping sources of vulnerability affecting women and girls.
In Lebanon, the number of additional women and girls who could face food insecurity is equivalent to nearly 4% of the country’s female population, Gumbonzvanda said, making it the second-highest proportion among the countries covered by the report.
Gumbonzvanda called for an integrated response combining food and cash assistance, nutrition programmes, protection and livelihood support, as well as agricultural assistance.
She also urged timely allocation of resources to areas where women and girls face multiple risks and said their experiences should be reflected in data to help identify where food insecurity is worsening and which groups are most affected.
The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) warned in August of potentially serious consequences for global food security from the simultaneous impact of several international shocks, including the crisis around the Strait of Hormuz.
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