By Abdullahi Lukman
The escalating conflict in the Middle East and disruptions to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz could push an additional 11.7 million women and girls into food insecurity by the end of 2026, UN Women has warned.
The agency said the disruption to shipping is driving up energy, fertiliser and transportation costs, with rising food prices expected to place additional pressure on household incomes and livelihoods.
In a new analysis titled Food Security Risks of the Middle East Escalation for Women and Girls, UN Women estimated that women and girls could account for 53 per cent of the projected 22 million additional people who may face food insecurity by the end of 2026 across 28 countries.
The estimate is in addition to about 208 million women and girls already experiencing food insecurity or undernutrition in the countries covered by the analysis.
UN Women stressed that the figures represent scenario-based estimates rather than forecasts.
The agency’s Deputy Executive Director, Nyaradzayi Gumbonzvanda, said women and girls were particularly vulnerable when food supplies and household resources become constrained.
She noted that women often reduce their food intake, skip meals or switch to less nutritious diets in order to prioritise other members of their households.
The analysis said disruptions around the Strait of Hormuz could further increase the cost of energy, fertiliser and transportation, potentially pushing food prices higher and reducing household purchasing power.
Women, it added, face greater exposure to such economic shocks because inequalities in employment, income and access to financial services often leave them with fewer resources to cope with rising costs.
South Sudan, Sudan, Haiti, Yemen and Palestine were identified among the countries facing particularly concentrated risks because of existing economic, humanitarian and social vulnerabilities.
In South Sudan, the additional number of women and girls who could become food insecure is estimated at about 14 per cent of the country’s female population, the highest proportion among the countries assessed. Lebanon follows, with the projected increase equivalent to nearly four per cent of its female population.
Women and girls could also represent a disproportionately large share of people facing additional food insecurity in some countries.
They are estimated to account for 60 per cent of those potentially affected in Afghanistan, more than 57 per cent in Yemen and nearly 56 per cent in Sudan.
UN Women also linked women’s employment status to their ability to withstand food and economic shocks, noting that about 80 per cent of women are outside the labour force in Egypt, Iraq, Palestine, Sudan and Syria. The proportion rises to about 95 per cent in Afghanistan and Yemen.
Among women who are employed, more than 80 per cent are reportedly engaged in vulnerable employment in Afghanistan, Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Haiti, Mali and South Sudan.
Access to financial services was identified as another important factor in determining households’ ability to cope with economic shocks. UN Women said fewer than one in five women in Iraq, Lebanon, Pakistan and Yemen owns a bank or mobile money account.
The lack of access, it said, could limit women’s ability to save, receive remittances or assistance and obtain formal credit when incomes decline or prices rise, potentially increasing dependence on informal lenders and relatives.
UN Women called for a coordinated response that combines food and cash assistance with nutrition, protection, livelihood and agricultural support.
It also urged governments and partners to improve women’s access to land, credit, essential services and productive assets, while directing resources towards communities facing multiple and overlapping risks.
The agency stressed the importance of delivering assistance before critical periods, including agricultural seasons, and called for improved data to identify where food insecurity is worsening and where women and girls are experiencing reduced food intake, livelihood losses, increased unpaid care work and heightened nutrition or protection risks.
UN Women also supported calls for de-escalation and respect for international law, while backing efforts by the United Nations Secretary-General to encourage diplomatic solutions aimed at promoting regional and international peace and security.
