17 August 2018, Niame --- The heads of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), along with the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the World Food Programme (WFP), have pledged to increase support for regional efforts addressing the critical food and nutrition security situation in the Sahel. Close to 6 million people are estimated to be severely food insecure in the current lean season. In Niger, as in other parts of the Sahel, FAO, IFAD and WFP are jointly focusing on addressing poverty, underdevelopment, climate shocks and migration - factors that have all contributed to the region's critical humanitarian and security situation, one that affects women and girls in particular.