Addressing food insecurity in conflict-affected regions: Humanitarian–development–peace nexus framework
The G20’s leadership shows how important global teamwork is to solving hunger.
Food insecurity is a growing global crisis, particularly in conflict-affected regions where violence and instability disrupt agricultural systems, displace populations and block access to humanitarian aid. According to the World Food Programme (2024), 65% of the 343 million people facing acute hunger globally reside in fragile or conflict-affected states. These challenges are compounded by economic stressors such as slow post-pandemic recovery and the fallout from the Ukraine war, alongside climate shocks that destroy agricultural systems and livelihoods. Without immediate action, food insecurity will deepen in regions such as Sudan, Palestine, Yemen and Ethiopia.
Recognising these urgent challenges, the G20 has stepped forward with initiatives to address food insecurity. The Deccan High-Level Principles on Food and Nutrition, formulated during India’s G20 presidency in 2023, emphasise facilitating humanitarian assistance (Principle 1), enhancing access to nutritious food (Principle 2) and strengthening food safety nets. Operationalising these principles through the humanitarian–development–peace (HDP) nexus framework provides a comprehensive strategy to combat hunger in conflict-affected regions.
The link between conflict and food insecurity
Conflict, displacement and economic shocks are major drivers of hunger. Conflict destroys infrastructure, blocks supply chains and forces farmers off their land. Due to the increase in economic pressure, inflation has led to high food prices and has disrupted supply chains, exacerbating hunger. In Sudan, violence has worsened famine, with 25.6 million facing acute food insecurity and around 2 million having fled to neighbouring countries in 2024. In Gaza, due to conflict-induced disruptions half the population has been classifiedation as facing catastrophe in early 2024 (FSIN & Global Network Against Food Crises, 2024). Climate change further intensifies these issues through extreme weather events, such as El Niño-induced droughts in Southern Africa in 2024 (Joint Research Centre, 2024). These overlapping crises create a vicious cycle- hunger leads to more instability, and instability leads to more hunger.
Global strategic framework for food security and nutrition
The Committee on World Food Security Framework for Action for Food Security and Nutrition in Protracted Crises (CFS-FFA), adopted in 2015, describes how to address critical food insecurity and undernutrition manifestations and build resilience in protracted crises in a manner that is adapted to the specific challenges of these situations and that avoids exacerbating underlying causes and, where opportunities exist, contributes to resolving them. The Framework for Action is intended to guide countries in the development, implementation, and monitoring of policies and actions to improve food security and nutrition in protracted crisis situations (FAO,2022).
Programs like Ethiopia’s Productive Safety Net Program (PSNP) provided essential food access during crises but did not fully address the complexities of conflict-driven food insecurity. These interventions often overlook the destabilising effects of violence and the need for social cohesion (FAO, 2016). Previous frameworks often operated in silos, focusing on humanitarian aid, development, or peacebuilding efforts without connecting them. They prioritised short-term emergency aid with inflexible funding, overlooked local knowledge and participation, and neglected addressing underlying conflicts. This led to fragmented, unsustainable interventions that failed to break the cycle of hunger and violence. This highlights the urgent need for an integrated framework to address humanitarian needs, promote sustainable development, and foster peacebuilding such as the HDP Nexus.
The HDP nexus framework
The HDP nexus integrates emergency relief with sustainable development and peacebuilding to address food insecurity.
Humanitarian assistance: Immediate aid is vital in conflict zones. Food distribution programs alleviate hunger, but logistical barriers often limit aid delivery. Despite international efforts, millions in Sudan and Gaza lack sufficient aid due to restricted access (ReliefWeb, 2024).
Development initiatives: Long-term strategies focus on rebuilding agriculture and restoring livelihoods. Investments in climate-resilient practices help communities adapt and reduce aid dependence.
Peacebuilding efforts: Conflict resolution fosters stability and prevents violence. Collaborative governance can manage shared resources equitably. Peacebuilding initiatives in drought-prone areas could address grievances and enhance agricultural productivity.
The G20’s role in combating food insecurity
The G20 has emerged as a critical platform for addressing global food security challenges. In 2021, the Matera Declaration was adopted during Italy’s G20 presidency. This declaration promotes global cooperation to support smallholder farmers while reducing food waste — a key factor contributing to hunger worldwide. In 2023, under India’s presidency, the Deccan High-Level Principles on Food and Nutrition were introduced to guide collective action against hunger. These principles emphasise facilitating humanitarian assistance to vulnerable populations while strengthening food safety nets through inclusive policies. In 2024, Brazil’s G20 presidency launched the Global Alliance Against Hunger and Poverty (GAAHP). This initiative seeks to eradicate hunger by integrating income transfer programs with maternal healthcare support and resilience-building measures for smallholder farmers (Gabinete de Comunicação Social, 2024). By leveraging multilateral partnerships and innovative financing mechanisms such as pooled funds from humanitarian-development-peace sectors, the GAAHP reflects a holistic approach aligned with the HDP Nexus framework.
While the G20 has made important progress, some gaps remain, especially for conflict-affected regions:
Limited focus on conflict dynamics: Many G20 initiatives do not fully address the unique challenges of delivering food aid in areas with ongoing violence, such as restricted humanitarian access and the destruction of local markets and infrastructure.
Short-term aid vs. long-term solutions: There is often a greater focus on emergency food aid, while long-term strategies for rebuilding agriculture, supporting local economies, and fostering peace are less developed.
Local participation: Programs sometimes overlook the need to involve local communities in planning and decision-making, which is essential for building trust and ensuring that aid reaches those who need it most.
Monitoring and accountability: There is a need for clearer indicators and regular reporting to track progress in conflict-affected areas, ensuring that aid is effective and reaches the intended populations.
Recommendations for G20 action
To address these gaps and make G20 efforts more effective, the following steps are recommended:
Strengthen humanitarian access: Advocate for safe and unhindered access for humanitarian organizations in conflict zones, and support diplomatic efforts to allow food aid delivery even in active conflict areas.
Integrate long-term recovery with emergency aid: Combine immediate food assistance with programs that rebuild local agriculture, markets, and infrastructure. For example, distribute seeds and farming tools alongside emergency food supplies.
Empower local communities: Involve local leaders and community groups in designing and implementing food security programs. This helps ensure that aid is relevant, accepted, and sustainable.
Promote peacebuilding through food security: Support initiatives that use food security projects to bring communities together, reduce tensions, and address the root causes of conflict, such as competition over resources.
Enhance monitoring and transparency: Establish clear, simple indicators to measure progress in conflict-affected areas. Regularly publish results to ensure accountability and allow for course corrections.
Innovative and flexible funding: Encourage pooled and flexible funding mechanisms that can quickly shift between emergency relief and long-term development, adapting to changing needs on the ground.
Conclusion
Food insecurity in conflict-affected regions needs a joined-up response from many sectors. The HDP Nexus framework offers a hopeful path forward by combining emergency help, long-term development, and peacebuilding. The G20’s leadership—through efforts like the Deccan High-Level Principles—shows how important global teamwork is to solving hunger. As climate change and economic shocks continue to create instability, breaking the cycle of conflict and hunger will need strong political will from G20 countries and support from the international community. By using solutions based on the HDP Nexus and building on G20 initiatives like the Matera Declaration and GAAHP, we can work toward lasting food security and peace.
The G20 countries urgently need to prioritise just and inclusive energy transition policies that ensure energy security, affordability, accessibility, resilience, market stability and economic prosperity.
3 Jun 2025
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Commentary
Addressing food insecurity in conflict-affected regions: Humanitarian–development–peace nexus framework
The G20’s leadership shows how important global teamwork is to solving hunger.
Food insecurity is a growing global crisis, particularly in conflict-affected regions where violence and instability disrupt agricultural systems, displace populations and block access to humanitarian aid. According to the World Food Programme (2024), 65% of the 343 million people facing acute hunger globally reside in fragile or conflict-affected states. These challenges are compounded by economic stressors such as slow post-pandemic recovery and the fallout from the Ukraine war, alongside climate shocks that destroy agricultural systems and livelihoods. Without immediate action, food insecurity will deepen in regions such as Sudan, Palestine, Yemen and Ethiopia.
Recognising these urgent challenges, the G20 has stepped forward with initiatives to address food insecurity. The Deccan High-Level Principles on Food and Nutrition, formulated during India’s G20 presidency in 2023, emphasise facilitating humanitarian assistance (Principle 1), enhancing access to nutritious food (Principle 2) and strengthening food safety nets. Operationalising these principles through the humanitarian–development–peace (HDP) nexus framework provides a comprehensive strategy to combat hunger in conflict-affected regions.
The link between conflict and food insecurity
Conflict, displacement and economic shocks are major drivers of hunger. Conflict destroys infrastructure, blocks supply chains and forces farmers off their land. Due to the increase in economic pressure, inflation has led to high food prices and has disrupted supply chains, exacerbating hunger. In Sudan, violence has worsened famine, with 25.6 million facing acute food insecurity and around 2 million having fled to neighbouring countries in 2024. In Gaza, due to conflict-induced disruptions half the population has been classifiedation as facing catastrophe in early 2024 (FSIN & Global Network Against Food Crises, 2024). Climate change further intensifies these issues through extreme weather events, such as El Niño-induced droughts in Southern Africa in 2024 (Joint Research Centre, 2024). These overlapping crises create a vicious cycle- hunger leads to more instability, and instability leads to more hunger.
Global strategic framework for food security and nutrition
The Committee on World Food Security Framework for Action for Food Security and Nutrition in Protracted Crises (CFS-FFA), adopted in 2015, describes how to address critical food insecurity and undernutrition manifestations and build resilience in protracted crises in a manner that is adapted to the specific challenges of these situations and that avoids exacerbating underlying causes and, where opportunities exist, contributes to resolving them. The Framework for Action is intended to guide countries in the development, implementation, and monitoring of policies and actions to improve food security and nutrition in protracted crisis situations (FAO,2022).
Programs like Ethiopia’s Productive Safety Net Program (PSNP) provided essential food access during crises but did not fully address the complexities of conflict-driven food insecurity. These interventions often overlook the destabilising effects of violence and the need for social cohesion (FAO, 2016). Previous frameworks often operated in silos, focusing on humanitarian aid, development, or peacebuilding efforts without connecting them. They prioritised short-term emergency aid with inflexible funding, overlooked local knowledge and participation, and neglected addressing underlying conflicts. This led to fragmented, unsustainable interventions that failed to break the cycle of hunger and violence. This highlights the urgent need for an integrated framework to address humanitarian needs, promote sustainable development, and foster peacebuilding such as the HDP Nexus.
The HDP nexus framework
The HDP nexus integrates emergency relief with sustainable development and peacebuilding to address food insecurity.
Humanitarian assistance: Immediate aid is vital in conflict zones. Food distribution programs alleviate hunger, but logistical barriers often limit aid delivery. Despite international efforts, millions in Sudan and Gaza lack sufficient aid due to restricted access (ReliefWeb, 2024).
Development initiatives: Long-term strategies focus on rebuilding agriculture and restoring livelihoods. Investments in climate-resilient practices help communities adapt and reduce aid dependence.
Peacebuilding efforts: Conflict resolution fosters stability and prevents violence. Collaborative governance can manage shared resources equitably. Peacebuilding initiatives in drought-prone areas could address grievances and enhance agricultural productivity.
The G20’s role in combating food insecurity
The G20 has emerged as a critical platform for addressing global food security challenges. In 2021, the Matera Declaration was adopted during Italy’s G20 presidency. This declaration promotes global cooperation to support smallholder farmers while reducing food waste — a key factor contributing to hunger worldwide. In 2023, under India’s presidency, the Deccan High-Level Principles on Food and Nutrition were introduced to guide collective action against hunger. These principles emphasise facilitating humanitarian assistance to vulnerable populations while strengthening food safety nets through inclusive policies. In 2024, Brazil’s G20 presidency launched the Global Alliance Against Hunger and Poverty (GAAHP). This initiative seeks to eradicate hunger by integrating income transfer programs with maternal healthcare support and resilience-building measures for smallholder farmers (Gabinete de Comunicação Social, 2024). By leveraging multilateral partnerships and innovative financing mechanisms such as pooled funds from humanitarian-development-peace sectors, the GAAHP reflects a holistic approach aligned with the HDP Nexus framework.
While the G20 has made important progress, some gaps remain, especially for conflict-affected regions:
Recommendations for G20 action
To address these gaps and make G20 efforts more effective, the following steps are recommended:
Conclusion
Food insecurity in conflict-affected regions needs a joined-up response from many sectors. The HDP Nexus framework offers a hopeful path forward by combining emergency help, long-term development, and peacebuilding. The G20’s leadership—through efforts like the Deccan High-Level Principles—shows how important global teamwork is to solving hunger. As climate change and economic shocks continue to create instability, breaking the cycle of conflict and hunger will need strong political will from G20 countries and support from the international community. By using solutions based on the HDP Nexus and building on G20 initiatives like the Matera Declaration and GAAHP, we can work toward lasting food security and peace.
18 Jun 2025
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