Famine Action Letter
With 45 million people on the brink of famine, Mercy Corps joins 120 other civil society organizations in calling on world leaders to take urgent action.
Dear world leaders,
It is over six months since the UN warned that famine risk is soaring globally. We – a group of 120 NGOs from around the world – are at a loss that since then the crisis has only worsened. There has been a 370% rise in people experiencing catastrophic levels of hunger since April and now a staggering 45 million people are at extreme risk – on the brink of famine. These numbers do not tell the whole story. Behind them are people suffering immensely from a crisis that we can prevent. What will it take for this situation to change?
The promises of the G7’s Famine Prevention Compact issued in May have not yet been met. It is clear that, since then, the situation has only deteriorated. Grand gestures do not fill empty stomachs. As the UN Secretary General has recently alerted, less than half the funding needed to stave off famine in six countries of highest concern (Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Southern Madagascar, north-east Nigeria, South Sudan, Yemen) has been received to date. Meanwhile, some Humanitarian Response Plans (HRPs) are less than 20% funded.
The number of people at risk, and associated costs, are escalating, rising from $6.6bn needed to support 41 million people at risk of famine a few months ago, to $7bn needed to feed the 45 million people at risk across 43 countries, now. As basic food needs go unmet, humanitarian crises are escalating. One in 33 people worldwide are now in need of humanitarian assistance and one in ten people has malnutrition. The gap between needs and humanitarian funding is stark in some of the most vulnerable regions.
Conflict, the climate crisis, economic shocks and the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic are set to push more people into crisis level hunger and malnutrition in 2022. Conflict in particular is escalating globally, forcing families to flee their homes and lose their livelihoods. The hunger and malnutrition this is causing disproportionately affects women and girls putting them at increased risk of extreme hunger and gender-based violence.
In conflict settings, supporting peacebuilding and conflict prevention is also crucial. Further, it is time that political commitments made to uphold international law, safeguard people’s human rights and secure access to aid are acted upon. All parties to a conflict must facilitate humanitarian access, protect civilians and desist from using starvation as a method of warfare. Obstacles, such as sanctions and access denial, to humanitarian action are severely compounding a crisis that cannot be healed with money alone.
We have watched the number of people in need rise in 2021. We call on world leaders to take the urgent action desperately needed now to reverse this trend in 2022.
Signers:
International iNGOs
Mercy Corps
Action Against Hunger
CARE International
Christian Aid
Concern Worldwide
Danish Refugee Council (DRC)
International Medical Corps
International Rescue Committee (IRC)
INTERSOS
Islamic Relief Worldwide
Norwegian Refugee Council
Oxfam International
Plan International
Save the Children
World Vision International
National and Local NGOs
| Coordination of Humanitarian Assistance (CHA) | Afghanistan |
| Qatar Red Crescent Society Afghanistan -Office | Afghanistan |
| Coordination of Humanitarian Assistance (CHA) | Afghanistan |
| La Chaîne de l’Espoir | Afghanistan |
| Organization for Community Coordination and Development | Afghanistan |
| Organization for people’s Health in action (OPHA) | Afghanistan |
| Shuhada Organization | Afghanistan |
| Aid Vision | Country |
| Caritas Développement Kalemie-Kirungu | Democratic Republic of Congo |
| Action Commune pour le Développement ONG ACD | Democratic Republic of Congo |
| Action pour l’Encadrement des filles mères désœuvrées | Democratic Republic of Congo |
| ADRA | Democratic Republic of Congo |
| Amour et Avenir du Congo | Democratic Republic of Congo |
| APPRONA (Appui aux Projets pour la Protection de la Nature) | Democratic Republic of Congo |
| Armee de Salut | Democratic Republic of Congo |
| Association des agriculteurs sans frontières | Democratic Republic of Congo |
| Association des Jeunes Cultivateurs et Eleveurs pour le développement au Kivu | Democratic Republic of Congo |
| AVSD | Democratic Republic of Congo |
| BUREAU OECUMENIQUE D’APPUI AU DEVELOPPEMENT “BOAD” | Democratic Republic of Congo |
| Bureau Œcuménique d’Appui au Développement “BOAD” | Democratic Republic of Congo |
| Caritas Développement Tshumbe | Democratic Republic of Congo |
| Caritas International Belgique | Democratic Republic of Congo |
| Carrefour des Agriculteurs, Pécheurs et Eleveurs “CAPE3 | Democratic Republic of Congo |
| Centre d’encadrement des personnes imprimeess | Democratic Republic of Congo |
| Centre Oecuménique pour la Promotion du Monde Rural | Democratic Republic of Congo |
| Comité pour le Développement et Assistance Humanitaire (CODEVAH) | Democratic Republic of Congo |
| Consortium des Organisations Humanitaires Pour la Paix du Sud Kivu | Democratic Republic of Congo |
| Cooperative Tunngana | Democratic Republic of Congo |
| Coordination Nationale des Conviviums de Slow Food en RD Congo | Democratic Republic of Congo |
| CS Savoir Vivre | Democratic Republic of Congo |
| Direction Hygiène et Salubrité Publique | Democratic Republic of Congo |
| Environnement Sans Frontières asbl | Democratic Republic of Congo |
| Espoir Plus | Democratic Republic of Congo |
| Food Security Cluster | Democratic Republic of Congo |
| Foyer de Lutte Contre la Malnutrition | Democratic Republic of Congo |
| Joseph NDAMBU | Democratic Republic of Congo |
| Lutte Nationalle Contre La Pauvrete (LUNACOP) | Democratic Republic of Congo |
| Paix et Développement de la Femme et de l’enfant | Democratic Republic of Congo |
| Prodecom (projet de développement la communion fraternelle) | Democratic Republic of Congo |
| Regroupement des Acteurs pour le Développement de Base | Democratic Republic of Congo |
| Réseau d’Investissement pour le Développement Intégral (RIDI) | Democratic Republic of Congo |
| Solidarite Pour L’encadrement et Lutte Contre La Pauvrete | Democratic Republic of Congo |
| UADI ASBL | Democratic Republic of Congo |
| Union pour la Promotion/Protection, la Défense des Droits Humains et de l’Environnement-UPDDHE | Democratic Republic of Congo |
| Youth Engaged for Development and Social Progress | Democratic Republic of Congo |
| Youth for Development and Peace | Democratic Republic of Congo |
| Caritas Développement Uvira | Democratic Republic of Congo |
| ADSSE | Democratic Republic of Congo |
| UN OCHA Middle East and North Africa | Egypt |
| Finn Church Aid | Finland |
| Finnish Development NGOs – Fingo | Finland |
| Secours Islamique France | France |
| Solidarités International | France |
| ADRA Germany | Germany |
| COOPI – Cooperazione Internazionale | Italy |
| Jordan Health Aid Society International | Jordan |
| Jordan paramedic society | Jordan |
| ADRA SOMALIA | Kenya |
| Refugee Consortium of Kenya | Kenya |
| slessor | Kenya |
| Cesvi | Kenya/Somalia |
| Middle East Council of churches | Lebanon |
| Conseil des Agriculteurs, des Pécheurs et des Eleveurs “CAPE | Mbuji-Mayi/Kasaï Oriental |
| FHI 360 | Nigeria |
| iMMAP | Nigeria |
| Jesuit Refugee Service | Nigeria |
| Norwegian Refugee Council | Nigeria |
| SOS Children’s Villages | Nigeria |
| Women for Women International | Nigeria |
| Palestinian Non-Governmental Organizations Network | Occupied Palestinian Territory |
| New World Hope Organization (NWHO) | Pakistan |
| Society for Human Rights & Prisoners aid | Pakistan |
| Groupes des Jeunes pour le Developpement Communitaire | République Démocratique du Congo |
| Action In Semi Arid Lands ( ASAL) | Somalia |
| Actionaid international somaliland | Somalia |
| Development Action Network | Somalia |
| FCA Somalia Country Office | Somalia |
| Gargaar Relief and Development Organization (GREDO) | Somalia |
| Horn International Relief & Development Organization (HIRDO) | Somalia |
| Juba Foundation | Somalia |
| QRCS | Somalia |
| Shabelle Community Development Organization | Somalia |
| SOLO | Somalia |
| Somali NGO Consortium | Somalia |
| Sustainable Development & Peace-building Initiatives (SYPD) | Somalia |
| Trocaire | Somalia |
| Welthungerhilfe (WHH) | Somalia |
| World Concern Development Organisation | Somalia |
| Zamzam Foundation | Somalia |
| FAWE Somalia | Somalia |
| Humanitarian Translation for Somalia | Somalia and Kenya |
| Wasds | Somalia/Kenya |
| Mada Women Development SS | South Sudan |
| Al-Sham Humanitarian Foundation | Turkey |
| Hand in Hand for Aid and Development | Turkey |
| Horan Foundation | Turkey |
| Action For Humanity | UK |
| Hand in Hand for Aid and Development | UK |
| Church World Service | USA |
| ADO | Yemen |
| ADRA | Yemen |
| Bilding Foundation For Development | Yemen |
| Sustainable Development Foundation (SDF) | Yemen |
| Tamdeen Youth Foundation | Yemen |
| ZOA | Yemen |