UN: Over 1 Million People in Lebanon Face Severe Food Insecurity
The United Nations warned that more than one million people in Lebanon are threatened by severe food insecurity, calling for urgent action.
Translated by Qiyas from الراي — Original source
Beirut – AFP – The United Nations has warned that more than one million people in Lebanon are facing acute food insecurity, calling for “urgent” measures, as the country continues to grapple with the aftermath of a bloody war between Hezbollah and Israel and a chronic economic crisis.
A joint statement issued on Wednesday by the Lebanese Ministry of Agriculture, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), and the World Food Programme (WFP) stated that “more than one million people in Lebanon are experiencing high levels of acute food insecurity,” representing 21 percent of those analyzed, in projections covering the period from September 2026 to February 2027.
The statement warned that this situation constitutes “Crisis or worse phases,” necessitating urgent action, and projected that the number could rise to 1.15 million people by mid-2027 amid ongoing security challenges, economic pressures, and deteriorating livelihoods.
According to the statement, the UN had previously estimated in April that 24 percent of the population would face acute food insecurity, but it lowered its projections following a decline in displacement since the ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel in June.
The war, which began on March 2, displaced more than one million people according to authorities. Over 960,000 have returned home, while more than 300,000 remain displaced, according to the UN.
Meanwhile, families continue to face significant challenges, including “declining purchasing power, limited livelihood opportunities, and weakened resilience to ongoing crises and shocks,” the statement noted.
Fuel and commodity prices in Lebanon have risen due to higher global oil prices triggered by the repercussions of the war in the Middle East.
The country is still enduring the fallout of an economic collapse that began in autumn 2019, exacerbated by the war, while authorities have yet to implement a package of reforms demanded by the international community to unlock aid.
