NYN | News
International concerns are rising over the worsening hunger crisis in Yemen, with new warnings issued by the World Food Programme (WFP) highlighting the widening funding gap needed to meet humanitarian needs in 2026.
The World Food Programme announced that it requires more than $800 million to address the deterioration of acute food insecurity and combat hunger in Yemen during the coming year.
In a recent report, the WFP said it needs $802.3 million in funding to meet the needs of 18.1 million people suffering from acute food insecurity at crisis level (IPC Phase 3) or higher in 2026.
The report added that the WFP’s operational requirements for Yemen next year represent the second-highest funding need worldwide, after the Palestinian territories, whose requirements are estimated at $889.4 million.
The UN agency explained that the latest Joint Monitoring Report (JMR) analysis indicates that 9.4 million people in Yemen live in areas at risk of falling into acute food insecurity at IPC Phase 4 or higher.
The report noted that the Middle East, North Africa, and Eastern Europe remain among the most complex and volatile regions in the world, where conflict, displacement, economic crises, and harsh weather conditions exacerbate food insecurity. It stated that about 38.9 million people in these regions suffer from acute food insecurity, including 9.5 millionin emergency levels and more than 680,000 people facing catastrophic hunger in Gaza and Yemen.
The WFP expects that 318 million people in conflict-affected regions worldwide will face critical or worse levels of hunger next year. It added that its operational needs are estimated at $13 billion to reach 110 million of the most vulnerable people in 2026.
