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OCHA Policy Brief on Gendered Drivers, Risks and Impacts of Food Insecurity in the Sahel and the Horn of Africa

UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (2023) CC

It is widely understood that the food insecurity crisis in the Sahel and the Horn of Africa is one of the world’s fastest growing and most neglected crises. It lacks sufficient global focus, resources and urgency. As in so many crises, women and girls are disproportionately affected and shoulder t...he consequences of protracted neglect, with unconscionable impacts on their safety, life chances and agency. Gaining a holistic view of the gendered drivers, risks and impacts of food insecurity in the Sahel and the Horn of Africa is difficult. This is due to a lack of data and prioritization, and the large geographical and socioeconomic terrain covered by both regions. However, what we do know about this crisis is more than enough to urgently address the needs of women and girls. An OCHA discussion paper on this topic (which will be published imminently, and from which this policy brief is drawn) found that there is: A strong risk of profound regression in gender equality gains made to date in the countries of concern, including on education, sexual and reproductive health, and the economic independence of women and girls (with knock-on effects on broader humanitarian and development outcomes). An increasing challenge to reverse what must be recognized as a protracted and growing gender-based violence (GBV) emergency in the Sahel and the Horn of Africa. The food insecurity crisis in the Sahel and the Horn of Africa is protracted, multidimensional and highly gendered, with spiralling impacts on gender equality and food security outcomes. It is driven by interwoven and overlapping factors, including climate change, political instability, conflict, socioeconomic conditions, migration and displacement and, more recently, COVID-19 and the war in Ukraine. Interlinked with these factors are gendered structural drivers of food insecurity, including deeply entrenched gender inequalities and harmful social norms. Gendered risks and impacts of food insecurity include alarming limitations on access to education, sexual and reproductive health rights, women’s agency and participation, and dramatic increases in different existing forms of GBV and the emergence of new ones. Recognition of such gendered dimensions of food insecurity and of the need for a multisectoral approach in the response is key to addressing the crisis, along-side sustained commitment and adequate allocation of resources. This policy brief draws out key findings from the OCHA discussion paper on this topic, which includes a desk review of studies, assessments and reports, and interviews with local women’s organizations on the front lines of the food insecurity crisis in communities across both regions. Below are the most pressing gendered drivers, risks and impacts of food insecurity (not in order of priority), as well as key gaps in the current humanitarian response to food insecurity, and recommendations to take forward. more

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Water dilemmas: The cascading impacts of water insecurity in a heating world

Oxfam (2023) CC

Climate-induced water insecurity poses one of the biggest threats to humanity and will lead to more hunger, disease and displacement Oxfam water engineers are having to drill deeper, more expensive and harder-to-maintain water boreholes used by some of the poorest communities around the world, mo... more

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Africa’s Health Financing in a New Era

Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) (2025) CC

Africa’s health sector is facing an unprecedented financing crisis, driven by a sharp decline of 70% in Official Development Assistance (ODA) from 2021 to 2025 and deep-rooted structural vulnerabilities. This collapse is placing immense pressure on Africa’s already fragile health systems as ODA ...is seen as the backbone of critical health programs: pandemic preparedness, maternal and child health services, disease control programs are all at risk, threatening Sustainable Development Goal 3 and Universal Health Coverage. Compounding this is Africa’s spiraling debt, with countries expected to service USD 81 billion by 2025—surpassing anticipated external financing inflows—further eroding fiscal space for health investments. Level of domestic resources is low. TThe Abuja Declaration of 2001, a pivotal commitment made by African Union (AU) member states, aimed to reverse this trend by pledging to allocate at least 15% of national budgets to the health sector. However, more than two decades later, only three countries—Rwanda, Botswana, and Cabo Verde—have consistently met or exceeded this target (WHO, 2023). In contrast, over 30 AU member states remain well below the 10% benchmark, with some allocating as little as 5–7% of their national budgets to health. In addition, only 16 (29%) of African countries currently have updated versions of National Health Development Plan (NHDP) supported by a National Health Financing Plan (NHFP). These two documents play a critical role in driving internal resource mobilisation. At the same time, public health emergencies are surging, rising 41%—from 152 in 2022 to 213 in 2024—exposing severe under-resourcing of health infrastructure and workforce. Recurring outbreaks (Mpox, Ebola, cholera, measles, Marburg…) alongside effects of climate change and humanitarian crises in Eastern DRC, the Sahel, and Sudan, are overwhelming systems stretched by chronic underfunding. The situation is worsened by Africa’s heavy dependency with over 90% of vaccines, medicines, and diagnostics being externally sourced—leaving countries vulnerable to global supply chain shocks. Health worker shortages persist, with only 2.3 professionals per 1,000 people (below the WHO’s recommended 4.45), and fewer than 30% of systems are digitized, undermining disease surveillance and early warning. Without decisive action, Africa CDC projects the continent could reverse two decades of health progress, face 2 to 4 million additional preventable deaths annually, and a heightened risk of a pandemic emerging from within. Furthermore, 39 million more Africans could be pushed into poverty by 2030 due to intertwined health and economic shocks. This is not just a sectoral crisis—it is an existential threat to Africa’s political, social, and economic resilience, and global stability. In response, African leaders, under Africa CDC’s stewardship, are advancing a comprehensive three-pillar strategy centered on domestic resource mobilization, innovative financing, and blended finance. more

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Plan of Action for Malaria Elimination 2021-2025

Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) (2022) C_WHO

The Plan of Action for Malaria Elimination 2021-2025 has been developed in consultation with countries and regional partners as a framework of reference to guide the efforts of countries and the contributions of donors and partners towards elimination of the disease in the Americas. The Plan subscri... more

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Fortalecer la atención primaria de salud para hacer frente a la discriminación racial, promover servicios interculturales y reducir las desigualdades sanitarias: síntesis de la investigación

World Health Organization WHO (2022) C_WHO

Mientras los países se esfuerzan por avanzar hacia los Objetivos de Desarrollo Sostenible (ODS) y lograr la cobertura sanitaria universal, las desigualdades sanitarias provocadas por la discriminación racial y los factores interrelacionados siguen estando omnipresentes. Las desigualdades que sufre... more

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Report of the Special Rapporteur on the rights of persons with disabilities on her visit to Zambia

UN General Assembly (2019) CC

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Accelerating localised response COVID-19: Pratical Pathways

Inter-Agency Standing Committee IASC; Protection Cluster; UN High Commissioner for Refugees UNHCR (2020) CC

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Philanthropic Power and Development. Who shapes the agenda?

Jens Martens and Karolin Seitz Bischöfliches Hilfswerk MISEREOR, Brot für die Welt, Global Policy Forum (2015) C2

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The Venezuelan Displacement Crisis: A Test of Global Commitments and Solidarity

International Rescue Committee (2019) C1

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Un rayo de luz en la ensombrecida Venezuela - Informe sobre América Latina N°75 | 15 de julio de 2019

International Crisis Group (2019) C1

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Still Unprotected: Humanitarian Funding for Child protection

Protection Cluster Save the Children The Alliance for Child Protection; et al. (2020) C1

Children living in humanitarian crises face an increased risk of abuse. While the threats of harm are increasing, the established systems in place to protect them are breaking down. Faced with the COVID-19 pandemic and its impacts, vulnerable families suffer multiple hardships. Schools are closed an... more

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Myanmar: 2018 Humanitarian Needs Overview

UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (2017) C1

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A Glimmer of Light in Venezuela’s Gloom - Latin America Report N°75 | 15 July 2019

International Crisis Group (2019) C1

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The concept of vulnerability in European asylum procedures

Minos Mouzourakis, Kris Pollet, Ruben Fierens European Council on Refugees and Exiles (ECRE), Asylum Information Database (AIDA) (2017) C2

Once identified as vulnerable, applicants enjoy specific rights and safeguards in the asylum process under EU law. Vulnerability should therefore trigger additional or tailored support to ensure that people have the necessary conditions to bring forward a claim for protection.

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Community Empowerment Manual

We World GVC (2020) C1

The present Community Empowerment Manual draws upon the lessons learned of the Community Protection Approach implementation in Lebanon, the occupied Palestinian territory and Central America during the period 2015-2020 by WeWorld – GVC and its partners. The Manual means to accompany Field Staff i... more

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Health in 2015: from MDGs, Millennium Development Goals to SDGs, Sustainable Development Goals.

Ties Boerma, Colin Mathers, Carla AbouZahr, Somnath Chatterji, Daniel Hogan and Gretchen Stevens World Health Organization (2015) C_WHO

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Venezuela

Human Rights Watch (2017) C1

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Informe anual 2020. La salud universal y la pandemia Sistemas de salud resilientes. Perú

Organización Panamericana de la Salud IRIS (2021) CC

Establecida en 1902 como el organismo independiente especializado en salud del sistema interamericano, la Organización Panamericana de la Salud (OPS) ha desarrollado competencias y experiencia ampliamente reconocidas al brindar cooperación técnica a sus Estados Miembros para combatir las enfermed... more

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Informe anual 2020. La salud universal y la pandemia Sistemas de salud resilientes. Guatemala

Organización Panamericana de la Salud IRIS (2021) CC

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Plan de acción del Caribe sobre la salud y el cambio climático: Descripción de los indicadores

Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) (2020) C_WHO

En el presente documento, se suministra información sobre los métodos que deberán aplicarse para medir cada uno de los indicadores del Plan de acción del Caribe sobre la salud y el cambio climático y presentar información sobre ellos. Está organizado de conformidad con los cuatro componentes ... more