Rome – The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) today launched its first-ever Global Emergency and Resilience Appeal, calling for a more coherent and urgent approach to rising levels of acute food insecurity at a moment of tightening humanitarian resources. The Appeal places emergency agricultural assistance at the center of efforts to protect food production and strengthen resilience in crisis contexts.
The Appeal seeks $2.5 billion to support more than 100 million people in 54 countries and territories in 2026. By consolidating all humanitarian and resilience requirements into a single framework, FAO aims to address urgent needs while reducing the likelihood of repeated, costly assistance in future crises.
The Appeal reflects FAO’s commitment to deliver differently – with clearer priorities, stronger sequencing, and solutions rooted in what farmers consistently ask for – all aligned with areas Members have urged FAO to reinforce.
Launching the Appeal on the sidelines of the 179th FAO Council, FAO Director-General QU Dongyu underscored the need to strengthen how food crisis responses are designed and delivered, so that every contribution has the greatest possible impact.
“Acute food insecurity has tripled since 2016, even with high levels of humanitarian funding. The current model simply does not keep pace with today’s realities” the Director-General said. “Supporting farmers to maintain production is critical to ensure food availability. When farmers can keep producing, communities stabilize and the path to resilience becomes real.”
He added that at this year’s World Food Forum, young people in crisis contexts delivered a clear message – they want opportunity, not permanent handouts. This Appeal responds to that demand because “it is Member-driven, reality-driven, demand-driven and solutions-driven and most important cost-efficiency driven.”
Focusing on solutions that reduce needs over time
FAO’s 2026 Appeal recognizes that the drivers of food insecurity in today’s protracted crises cannot be sustainably addressed through short-term aid alone. Although 90 percent of humanitarian resources are now spent in long-running emergencies, hunger continues to rise.
Around 80 percent of people facing acute food insecurity live in rural areas, relying on farming, herding, fishing or forestry. Yet only 5 percent of humanitarian food-sector funding supports agricultural livelihoods—a persistent imbalance that traps families in a cycle of crisis and dependence. Strengthening local food production improves food availability, supports markets, creates jobs, and stabilizes communities—especially in countries such as Sudan, South Sudan, Afghanistan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
The Appeal emphasizes the importance of anticipatory action and rapid emergency agricultural support. Timely seed distributions, livestock vaccination campaigns, rehabilitation of key infrastructure, provision of tools, cash assistance and market-oriented support have consistently proven highly cost-effective, especially in conflict- and climate-affected contexts.
It also aligns with the United Nations’ forthcoming 2026 Global Humanitarian Overview, ensuring coherence with inter-agency planning while bringing FAO’s agricultural specificity and technical depth to the broader humanitarian response.
Evidence shows that early agricultural action can deliver benefit–cost ratios of up to 7:1 — meaning every dollar invested in protecting production today can generate up to seven dollars in avoided losses and reduced humanitarian needs later in the year.
FAO is urging donors, governments and partners to invest in solutions that help families withstand shocks, restore production and ultimately reduce future need. Behind every figure in the Appeal is a rural household striving for stability, dignity, and a pathway out of crisis.
What the 2026 Global Emergency and Resilience Appeal seeks to deliver
- $1.5 billion for life-saving emergency interventions for 60 million people, including seeds, tools, animal health campaigns, rapid livelihood recovery and cash assistance.
- $1 billion for resilience programmes benefiting 43 million people, focusing on agrifood solutions that have climate, biodiversity and food security benefits, water infrastructure, market access and restoring agrifood systems.
- $70 million for global services such as evidence systems, food chain threat monitoring, anticipatory action and coordination across the humanitarian–development–peace nexus.
Appeal breakdown by region
- Asia and the Pacific: $521.6 million to assist 30.5 million people in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Pakistan, Philippines, Timor-Leste
- Near East and North Africa: $519.1 million to assist 29.2 million people in Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Sudan, Syria, Palestine, Yemen
- Eastern Africa: $471.6 million to assist 18.4 million people in Ethiopia, Djibouti, Kenya, Rwanda, Somalia, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda
- West and Central Africa: $593.4 million to assist 17.7 million people in Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Togo
- Southern Africa: $179.6 million to assist 5.3 million people in Eswatini, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Zambia, Zimbabwe
- Latin America and the Caribbean: $111.9 million to assist 1.3 million people in Colombia, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of).
- Europe: $64.7 million to assist 358 713 people in Ukraine
A call for collective support
FAO emphasized that the Appeal represents a leadership commitment to protect food production and reduce future humanitarian needs through proven solutions, ensuring that every contribution delivers maximum impact for the most vulnerable communities, Members and donors.
“This Global Appeal reflects the new, faster, leaner and more effective FAO,” stated the Director-General.
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