Giving Compass' Take:

• The United Nations Foundation examines a recent report that shows how global conflict is exacerbating food insecurity, along with climate disasters.

• What should aid organizations prioritize, given this information? One is to work with local governments to know the conditions on the ground and push for conflict resolution. Also, "earlier and longer-term interventions, such as investments in agriculture and climate resilience, will be crucial."

• Can health gains be achieved in conflict regions? This article explores the issue.

Despite progress on many global development issues in recent decades, two destructive trends are on the rise — severe hunger and conflict/fragility — and it’s not by coincidence.

Recently, the 2018 Global Report on Food Crises was released. This third-edition report, prepared collectively by a dozen leading global and regional institutions including the European Union, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), and the United Nations World Food Program (WFP), aims to both elevate the importance of the issue and increase the ambition and urgency of action around ending hunger and reducing human suffering.

A stark finding that is coming into sharp focus is that conflict and insecurity are the primary culprits behind food insecurity in 18 countries, accounting for 60 percent of the global total. The number of food-insecure people needing urgent humanitarian action is growing and in nearly all regions. Climate disasters, such as droughts, are also a main driver, often occurring simultaneously with conflict in several African countries, including Nigeria, Somalia, and Sudan.

In fact, the UN estimates that 80 percent of its humanitarian funding needs are due to conflict. By uncovering the connections among conflict, climate, and hunger, the report reveals the true value of prioritizing and addressing fragility and sustaining peace. Conflict and insecurity, which can be triggered by hunger and climate disasters, cause more instability by disrupting food production and driving displacement.

Read the full article about hunger in conflict regions by Kaysie Brown at United Nations Foundation.