CONFLICT DRIVES GLOBAL HUNGER AS 266 MILLION FACE FOOD CRISIS — WFP
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By: Fasasi Hammad
As many as 266 million people worldwide experienced acute hunger in 2025, with conflict emerging as the leading driver of the most severe food crises, according to the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP).
The warning was issued as the agency’s new Executive Director, Luke J. Lindberg, officially assumed office on Monday, urging governments, businesses, institutions and individuals to support humanitarian efforts to provide food to people facing hunger before the situation worsens.
“Conflict is driving people into hunger, and extreme weather and maritime chokepoints exacerbate this reality,” Lindberg said in a statement published on the agency’s website to mark the commencement of his tenure.
He called for increased international support for the WFP’s humanitarian operations, stressing that the organisation could not sustain its life-saving interventions without broader global backing.
Lindberg urged governments, institutions, businesses and individuals to provide funding and other forms of support to ensure food reaches vulnerable populations in time, adding that efforts must be intensified to prevent famine.
The WFP disclosed that its teams currently operate in 83 countries where hunger poses a serious threat to livelihoods.
Lindberg’s appointment comes amid persistent humanitarian emergencies fuelled by armed conflicts, extreme weather conditions and disruptions to supply routes, which continue to worsen food insecurity in several parts of the world.
He succeeds Cindy McCain, who served as executive director from April 2023 to May 2026. Carl Skau has been serving as acting executive director since June.
Before joining the WFP, Lindberg served as Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs at the United States Department of Agriculture.
He also founded a public-private partnership aimed at expanding international markets for exporters in his state, where he served as president and chief executive officer.
Additionally, he held the positions of chief of staff and chief strategy officer at the Export-Import Bank of the United States.
The WFP is the world’s largest humanitarian organisation, providing emergency assistance to people affected by crises and using food aid to support recovery from conflicts, disasters and extreme weather events.
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