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Info Service on UN Sustainable Development (Mar26/01) Penang, 10 Mar (Kanaga Raja) — The sharp rise in food and fuel prices triggered by the escalating conflict in the Middle East is likely to deepen hunger among vulnerable populations both within the region and beyond, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) has warned. The violence has already inflicted severe humanitarian consequences – including mass displacement, civilian casualties, and the destruction of critical infrastructure – and the resulting market disruptions threaten to push even more people into food insecurity as the crisis intensifies, it said in a news release. According to WFP, as the conflict disrupts supply chains, drives up costs and weakens the purchasing power of families, people already on the edge could be pushed further towards severe food insecurity. Assessing the early impacts of the Middle East conflict on food security and humanitarian aid, WFP said that the conflict is already having immediate food security impacts in the region. For instance, it said in Lebanon, significant internal displacement is occurring within a population that has been grappling with high levels of food insecurity for several years. Meanwhile, WFP said that in Iran, pre-existing economic pressures are compounding the crisis. Economic stagnation, high food inflation, and rapid currency depreciation were already driving food insecurity prior to the current conflict, leaving households with limited capacity to absorb further shocks, it added. In Gaza, border closures at the onset of the crisis triggered sharp food price increases. While some crossings have since reopened, food prices remain elevated, continuing to constrain access to affordable food. The UN agency said beyond the region, the conflict is causing severe global supply chain disruptions with an unprecedented “dual chokepoint” scenario for transport affecting shipping, energy, and fertilizer markets with clear knock-on effects. A significant share of the global fertilizer supply transits through the Strait of Hormuz; any disruption there risks reduced availability, lower crop yields, and hence higher global food prices, it warned. Rising oil prices are adding further pressure. Since the conflict began, oil prices have increased significantly, raising fuel and transport costs and heightening the risk of renewed global inflation, with effects on food prices worldwide, said WFP. It said these supply chain pressures are also increasing costs for WFP’s lifesaving operations. While cash-based assistance will be used where feasible to mitigate costs, not all contexts allow for this. It said by working closely with longstanding partners and responding quickly to fast changing market conditions, WFP and UNICEF secured support from the shipping industry that so far helped avoid more than US$1 million in additional costs to WFP – keeping vital humanitarian supplies moving at a critical time. However, WFP said that longer transit times are delaying humanitarian deliveries. Extended shipping routes and congestion are jeopardizing WFP’s ability to reach vulnerable populations quickly, increasing the risk that people will wait longer for assistance and face heightened food insecurity and malnutrition. It said to mitigate these disruptions, WFP and partners are adapting their supply routes. This includes increased reliance on suppliers and transit corridors through Turkiye, Egypt, Jordan, and Pakistan, as well as greater use of overland routes between the UAE and the Levant where possible. Highlighting its operations in the region, WFP said Lebanon was the first country where the UN agency activated an immediate response. Within hours of shelters opening, WFP began providing hot meals, ready-to-eat rations, and bread to displaced families. In partnership with the Government of Lebanon, WFP has also initiated cash assistance to help households meet their immediate food needs. In Iran, WFP continues to support Afghan refugees through ongoing operations and stands ready to respond to any additional needs arising from the current crisis, it said. Meanwhile, WFP said that in Gaza, the reopening of the Kerem Shalom crossing will provide some relief, but sustained and unimpeded access remains essential. Without consistent access, WFP could be forced to reduce food rations to just 25 percent of daily requirements for approximately 1.3 million people. Fragile gains achieved following the ceasefire risk being reversed without reliable humanitarian corridors, it warned. Humanitarian operations in Afghanistan could also be affected by further border closures, which would increase costs and cause delays to food deliveries, it further said. WFP is assessing alternative supply chain routes to mitigate disruptions. At the same time, a prolonged conflict could force large numbers of Afghan refugees currently in Iran to return, creating additional humanitarian needs, it added. Meanwhile, highlighting the rise in child casualties amid escalating hostilities in Lebanon, Edouard Beigbeder, Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa at the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), said that the continuous escalation of hostilities in Lebanon and the devastating toll it is taking on children are gravely concerning. He said according to the latest reports, at least 83 children have been killed and 254 wounded since 2 March, as hostilities have intensified. In a statement issued on 9 March, he said on average, more than 10 children have been killed every day across Lebanon over the past week, with approximately 36 children injured each day. “In the last 28 months, 329 children have reportedly been killed in Lebanon and 1,632 were injured. In just the last six days, the number of children killed has increased by 25 per cent, with a devastating figure of 412 children killed.” “These figures are staggering. They are a stark testament to the toll that conflict is taking on children,” said the UNICEF official. Beigbeder said that as military strikes continue across the country, children are being killed and injured at a horrifying rate, families are fleeing their homes in fear, and thousands of children are now sleeping in cold and overcrowded shelters. “Mass displacement across Lebanon has forced nearly 700,000 people – including around 200,000 children – from their homes, adding to the tens of thousands already uprooted from previous escalations.” Meanwhile, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) also continued to sound the alarm over the humanitarian impact of escalating violence across parts of the Middle East, which is driving rising civilian casualties, damage to civilian infrastructure and growing displacement. In its latest update, OCHA said it is particularly concerned by reports of recent strikes on oil refineries, which could have serious environmental consequences across the region – with immediate impacts on access to safe water and public health. This comes on top of strikes on water desalination plants reported in several countries. The UN agency stressed that the Middle East was already facing immense humanitarian needs prior to this latest escalation. In his remarks at a media briefing at the UN headquarters in New York on 6 March, the United Nations Under- Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Mr. Tom Fletcher, warned of a “moment of grave peril” as humanitarian crises escalate in the Middle East. “We’re seeing these crises escalate rapidly with consequences that are out of control for those instigating the conflict, and we’re seeing increasing linkages between these different humanitarian crises – none of them good,” he said. “We’re seeing staggering amounts of money, reportedly $1 billion a day, funding this war, spent on destruction, while politicians continue to boast about cutting aid budgets for those in greatest need,” he added. “And we’re seeing an increasingly deadly alliance of technology and killing with impunity. We’re seeing a sustained attack against the systems and laws meant to restrain us from our worst instincts and from reckless warfare.” Mr. Fletcher said what is needed is de-escalation, an immediate cessation of hostilities, and genuine dialogue and negotiations, in line with the Charter of the United Nations. +
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