27 April 2018, Washington, DC - FAO North America and the World Food Programme (WFP), in conjunction with the House and Senate Hunger Caucuses of the United States, hosted a congressional briefing on the alarming findings of the 2018 Global Report on Food Crises at the Rayburn House Office Building.

Vimlendra Sharan, Director of FAO North America, gave opening remarks highlighting the worrisome increase in the number of people facing crises levels of food insecurity. The Report reveals that there has been an 11% rise in the number of people across the world who require urgent humanitarian action, with an estimated 124 million people in 51 countries that are currently facing crises levels of food insecurity or worse. An analysis of the report and situation was provided by Dominique Burgeon, FAO’s Director of the Emergency and Rehabilitation Division, and Arif Husain, WFP’s Chief Economist.

More than 60 people attended the briefing, including policy advisors and staff from House and Senate member offices, private sector and industry groups, nonprofits, and other U.S. government agencies, making for a robust discussion following the speakers’ presentations.

Earlier in the day, the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) hosted a Washington, DC launch event for the report that featured Dominique Burgeon and Luca Russo, Senior Strategic Advisor on Resilience, FAO and Steering Committee Member, Food Security Information Network (FSIN). Watch highlights from the IFPRI event.

Read more about FAO’s work on Resilience and in Emergencies.