UN speaker says armed conflict is driving famine in Gaza, Sudan and elsewhere; urges political leverage and accountability
November 18, 2025 | United Nations, Federal
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Joyce Musuya, Speaker, told a United Nations council session that armed conflict is driving the world’s most severe food crises and urged member states to use political leverage, improve humanitarian access and strengthen accountability to prevent famine.
Referencing the latest hunger-hotspots analysis, Musuya said “the world’s most extreme food crises, including the famines in parts of the Gaza Strip and Sudan, are driven primarily by armed conflict and violence.” She cited country-level impacts, saying that in Yemen “17,000,000 people are going hungry and another 1,000,000 are forecast,” and that more than 21,000,000 people in Sudan face high levels of acute food insecurity, according to IPC analysis.
Musuya described how attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure force farmers off their land, disrupt supply chains and destroy livelihoods, and said those conditions worsen food insecurity. “The use of starvation of civilians as a method of warfare is prohibited,” she said, invoking international humanitarian law and citing Resolution 24 17 adopted in 2018 and a later resolution referenced in the remarks.
She outlined barriers that limit relief in conflict zones, including damage to infrastructure, restrictions at border crossings, delays to aid convoys and bureaucratic impediments that slow the entry of supplies and personnel. One month into a ceasefire in Gaza, she said, the UN and partners had provided millions of meals and reopened nutrition sites but that access remained constrained by limits at crossings and other practical obstacles.
Musuya said the UN, including OCHA, negotiates with parties to conflict, operates notification systems to inform armed actors about humanitarian movements and coordinates responders, but that those tools succeed only when parties are willing to facilitate access. She warned that “the record number of attacks harming aid workers over the past 2 years” has had a knock-on effect on communities’ access to relief and called on states to condemn such attacks and pursue credible investigations.
To address hunger in conflict, Musuya proposed four concrete areas of action for the council and member states: use diplomatic leverage to influence parties to conflict; make compliance with international law a condition for arms exports; join and act on commitments such as the political declaration on protecting civilians from the humanitarian consequences of explosive weapons in populated areas; and strengthen accountability through investigations, legislation to prosecute war crimes and support for international jurisdictions where national authorities cannot or will not act.
She also urged practical measures to facilitate humanitarian operations — simplifying entry procedures, speeding permits for relief supplies, enabling safe movement for humanitarian staff, and clearing unexploded ordnance so aid can reach civilians and farmers can return to their land. Musuya emphasized that humanitarian funding remains essential but that sustained political engagement is required to translate coordination and resources into protection and relief.
The council chair thanked Musuya for her briefing and handed the floor to Maximo Torero, who was introduced to continue the session.
Referencing the latest hunger-hotspots analysis, Musuya said “the world’s most extreme food crises, including the famines in parts of the Gaza Strip and Sudan, are driven primarily by armed conflict and violence.” She cited country-level impacts, saying that in Yemen “17,000,000 people are going hungry and another 1,000,000 are forecast,” and that more than 21,000,000 people in Sudan face high levels of acute food insecurity, according to IPC analysis.
Musuya described how attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure force farmers off their land, disrupt supply chains and destroy livelihoods, and said those conditions worsen food insecurity. “The use of starvation of civilians as a method of warfare is prohibited,” she said, invoking international humanitarian law and citing Resolution 24 17 adopted in 2018 and a later resolution referenced in the remarks.
She outlined barriers that limit relief in conflict zones, including damage to infrastructure, restrictions at border crossings, delays to aid convoys and bureaucratic impediments that slow the entry of supplies and personnel. One month into a ceasefire in Gaza, she said, the UN and partners had provided millions of meals and reopened nutrition sites but that access remained constrained by limits at crossings and other practical obstacles.
Musuya said the UN, including OCHA, negotiates with parties to conflict, operates notification systems to inform armed actors about humanitarian movements and coordinates responders, but that those tools succeed only when parties are willing to facilitate access. She warned that “the record number of attacks harming aid workers over the past 2 years” has had a knock-on effect on communities’ access to relief and called on states to condemn such attacks and pursue credible investigations.
To address hunger in conflict, Musuya proposed four concrete areas of action for the council and member states: use diplomatic leverage to influence parties to conflict; make compliance with international law a condition for arms exports; join and act on commitments such as the political declaration on protecting civilians from the humanitarian consequences of explosive weapons in populated areas; and strengthen accountability through investigations, legislation to prosecute war crimes and support for international jurisdictions where national authorities cannot or will not act.
She also urged practical measures to facilitate humanitarian operations — simplifying entry procedures, speeding permits for relief supplies, enabling safe movement for humanitarian staff, and clearing unexploded ordnance so aid can reach civilians and farmers can return to their land. Musuya emphasized that humanitarian funding remains essential but that sustained political engagement is required to translate coordination and resources into protection and relief.
The council chair thanked Musuya for her briefing and handed the floor to Maximo Torero, who was introduced to continue the session.
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