Rising Above the Storms

Looking back on WFP's response to hunger and malnutrition across Asia and the Pacific in 2022.

In 2022, unparalleled challenges drove a surge in hunger.

New crises mounted on top of existing ones, further pressing down on the backs of people already suffering from poverty, hunger, and malnutrition.

In Asia and the Pacific, the year ended with 69.1 million acutely food-insecure people, a significant increase from the 62.2 million people reported in 2021.

This was driven by a horde of factors, including the global food crisis, an onslaught of extreme weather events, and political crises. These shocks further exposed structural inequalities - and disproportionately affected groups that were already vulnerable to food insecurity.

Prices skyrocketed to new heights.

The year was marked by the largest food crisis in modern history - a ripple effect of the conflict in Ukraine, price spikes, political instability, and climate shocks. This struck as many economies in the region were finally easing out of the woes brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Staggeringly high food prices added to the hardships of those already struggling to put nutritious food on the table. As waves of people saw their incomes dwindle, food slid further out of reach, threatening to erase much of the progress made in the past decades to combat malnutrition.

Extreme weather events struck over and over.

The cascade of floods, typhoons, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, heat waves, and droughts was yet another reminder that Asia and the Pacific is the world's most disaster-prone region.¹ Time and time again, these events underscored the disproportionate impact on those already vulnerable to food insecurity.

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Conflict, political instability, and economic pressures drove the bulk of worsening food insecurity.

While violence and political instability remained the biggest drivers of hunger, the economic upheaval in 2022 made matters far worse. In some cases, countries that had previously appeared safe from such challenges saw food insecurity skyrocket against a backdrop of record-high inflation rates, supply chain disruptions, and debt crises. Meanwhile, other countries saw the global economic pressures exacerbate an already-dire humanitarian situation.

Below are just a few examples:

Afghanistan

Afghanistan's humanitarian crisis worsened dramatically, with a record-breaking 22.8 million people facing acute food-insecurity - that's half of the population. This was driven by a worsening of the economic crisis. High unemployment, rising food prices, and cash shortages mounted on top of already severe drought conditions.

As the year went on, successive blows to women's rights threatened their potential. Girls were shunned from secondary schools and universities, and by the end of the year, women working for local NGOs were restricted from humanitarian work.

Myanmar

Myanmar remained embroiled in multiple crises following the previous year's military takeover. As violence surged, the number of internally displaced people multiplied fivefold from the previous year. Currency depreciation and soaring prices, compounded by the global food crisis, pushed food out of reach for millions.

These factors drove alarming hunger levels; in 2022, around a quarter of the population (13.2 million people) faced food insecurity. This figure is on course to rise even further.

Sri Lanka

In 2022, Sri Lanka faced the worst economic crisis since its independence in 1948. A range of factors, such as consecutive years of drought, depleted foreign reserves, political turbulence, high inflation, and increased public debt had a devastating impact on the country's economy. This led to a severe shortage of food, fuel, and other essentials.

As a result, 6.3 million people in Sri Lanka were acutely food-insecure in 2022 - that's nearly one-third of the population. This marked a dramatic reversal for a country in which food insecurity was at 10 percent in 2019.²

But WFP stepped up.

Faced with an exceptional global food crisis and a new wave of threats, WFP stood firm in its commitment to combat hunger. Thanks to the support of its generous donors, WFP stepped up and scaled up, reaching over 37.4 million people in the Asia and the Pacific region with assistance in 2022.

That's 12.6 million more than in 2021.

WFP continued to do what it does best: leveraging its vast experience in delivering food, cash, and nutrition assistance in emergencies. This also meant drawing on its capacities in improving livelihoods, providing school meals, building resilience, bolstering national social protection systems, and augmenting logistics and emergency telecommunications.

By doing so, WFP made sure it was present - right where it was needed.

WFP's reach expanded across the region

NUMBER OF PEOPLE REACHED IN 2023

Responding to Crises

WFP provided food assistance amid some of the worst crises the region has ever seen.

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Sri Lanka

ECONOMIC CRISIS

As Sri Lanka's economy spiraled, WFP worked with the Government to reach 1.4 million people vulnerable to the impact of this economic crisis. WFP delivered this assistance by distributing emergency food and cash-based transfers through the Government's flagship social safety net, providing rice for school meals, and delivering raw materials for Thriposha, the Government's nutrition intervention.

Pakistan

FLOODS RESPONSE

When the unprecedented floods in Pakistan plunged one-third of the country underwater, WFP stepped up to reach 3.1 million flood survivors with emergency food assistance. This response significantly exceeded initial targets. WFP also expanded ongoing livelihood support interventions in flood-hit areas, where possible.

Myanmar

ECONOMIC AND POLITICAL CRISES

Amid Myanmar's mass displacements, political instability, and access constraints, WFP rapidly expanded its coverage to new areas. WFP leveraged its strong network of cooperating partners and reached 2.3 million people with unconditional emergency relief assistance, including 1.6 million in peri-urban Yangon and 700,000 affected by conflict in other areas.

Bangladesh

REFUGEE CRISIS AND FLOODS

WFP did not lose sight of the Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh - who remained at alarming levels of vulnerability amid food and fuel price hikes. WFP delivered an integrated package of assistance to 1.7 million refugees and Bangladeshis vulnerable to food insecurity - including to those affected by floods.

Afghanistan

ECONOMIC AND POLITICAL CRISES

WFP stood as one of the last remaining barriers between vulnerable populations in Afghanistan and widespread famine. Throughout the year, WFP reached 23 million people - or more than half of the population - in a drastic scale-up of emergency food and nutrition assistance to prevent widespread mortality and morbidity. This represents 7.3 million more people than in 2021.

Decisive Strides Toward Longer-Term Development

Amid a sea of crises, WFP's development efforts remained a cornerstone of its work in the region. As 2022 unfolded, the importance of these longer-term, sustainable efforts became even clearer.

Governments across the region drew from WFP's expertise on a wide spectrum of development-centered initiatives. This involved everything from school feeding transition strategies and climate hazard monitoring, to nutrition roadmaps, shock-responsive social protection, and rice fortification workplans. By doing so, WFP bolstered the capacity of countries to withstand future shocks and stressors.

Building on Long-Term Gains

WFP continued to change lives through its development agenda.

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School Feeding

INVESTING IN FUTURE GENERATIONS

WFP provided school meals across the region, reaching 4.8 million children. But 2022 also saw exceptional strides in transitioning our school meals programmes to government ownership. In Timor-Leste, for example, an agreement was signed to increase government investment in the value of school meals by 68 percent, while in Cambodia, a school feeding programme transition strategy was signed with a yearly target to transition all schools to the Government by 2028.

Resilience

SAFEGUARDING AGAINST SHOCKS

In the face of new and old shocks, WFP ramped up its resilience activities to reach 2.9 million people. This combination of asset creation and vocational skills training activities not only met immediate food needs, but also created opportunities for livelihoods and income sources that would last long after shocks subsided. In 2022, WFP broke new ground in supporting governments in setting up millions of individuals with micro- and small-scale enterprises in Bangladesh, the Kyrgyz Republic, the Philippines, and Tajikistan.

Nutrition

BUILDING HEALTHY MINDS AND PRACTICES

WFP reached some 8 million people with prevention and treatment of acute malnutrition activities. WFP also continued to delve deeper into the root causes of malnutrition. In Indonesia, for example, WFP and the Government reached more than 2 million adolescents through the Government's #KerenDimakan digital healthy diets campaign. In Bhutan, WFP's research on schoolchildren's consumption helped to inform a national strategy. Meanwhile, in India, the Government agreed to scale up fortified rice in its food-based safety nets to reach over 800 million people.

Pinda's Magic Bowl:
A WFP-supported TV series on healthy diets in Bhutan

Preparedness

LEVERAGING TECH TO PREVENT THE WORST

As floods, typhoons and droughts continued to assail the region, WFP scaled up investments in anticipatory action. This involves anticipating climate hazards with early warning systems and early action before they turn into disasters. In Nepal, WFP provided an anticipatory cash assistance pilot at scale for the first time - reaching 100,231 people who were at risk following the monsoon flooding. In the Philippines, WFP continued to maximize typhoon readiness, registering 45,000 households for anticipatory action and conducting various simulation exercises.

Social Protection

EMPOWERING PEOPLE EQUITABLY

Governments across the region continued to call on WFP's technical expertise to strengthen their national social protection systems. This has proven particularly vital in safeguarding millions against the most recent shocks.

In India, WFP's 'GrainATM' - an automated grain dispensing machine - reached 55,000 beneficiaries of the government's public distribution system, with plans to expand the pilot further. In Indonesia, WFP supported the Government in developing pathways towards adaptive social protection by enhancing early warning systems.

Generating Evidence

As the global food crisis wreaked havoc on markets, timely and accurate evidence on food security and nutrition was more important than ever. Fortunately, WFP was ready to draw on its deep experience in rolling out evidence at depth and at scale - even drawing on evidence and lessons from the COVID-19 response to help inform the global food crisis response. WFP produced evidence on the key issues faced by countries in the region. A critical part of this was expanding its household food security surveys to monitor the impact of the crisis in countries including Bangladesh, the Kyrgyz Republic, Laos, the Pacific Islands, the Philippines, and Sri Lanka to better inform the humanitarian response.

Meanwhile, WFP continued to recognize the pivotal role of evidence in advancing development outcomes. This included rolling out a series of studies to understand the rice fortification landscape in Cambodia, Indonesia, Pakistan, the Philippines, and Sri Lanka. WFP also contributed to building solid evidence on cash transfers and digital financial inclusion, with a focus on Bangladesh, Cambodia, and Nepal.

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Regional
Impact of the Global Food Crisis

Regional
Lessons Learned from COVID-19 for the Global Food Crisis

Afghanistan
Household Food Security Survey

Bangladesh
Household Food Security Surveys

Lao PDR
Household Food Security Surveys

Philippines
Household Food Security Surveys

Sri Lanka
Household Food Security Surveys

Regional
Evidence on the Use of Cash Transfers and Digital Financial Inclusion

Southeast Asia
Micronutrient Landscape

South Asia
Micronutrient Landscape

Learn More: Annual Country Reports

WFP produces annual country reports as part of its commitment to accountability and transparency in its operations.

Learn more about how WFP contributed to improving food security and nutrition, together with governments and other stakeholders across the region.

Afghanistan

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Bangladesh

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Bhutan

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Cambodia

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India

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Indonesia

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Kyrgyz Republic

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Lao

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Nepal

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Pacific

Web | PDF

Pakistan

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Philippines

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Sri Lanka

Web | PDF

Tajikistan

Web | PDF

Timor-Leste

Web | PDF

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1. ESCAP, January 2023, '2022: A year when disasters compounded and cascaded”
2. In June 2022, 6.3 million people were food-insecure in Sri Lanka, based on the Crop and Food Security Assessment Mission. This figure worsened throughout the year, as seen in WFP's remote household food security surveys. The 2019 figure is from the Household Income and Expenditure Survey (FIES), 2019.
Footnote: Please contact us for any interest in Myanmar and DPR Korea's annual country report

Thank you to our funding partners

These achievements were only made possible thanks to the generous support from our funding partners.