Improving famine early warning systems: a conflict-sensitive approach

Abstract

ABSTRACT The existing information mechanisms on food insecurity are not ‘conflict sensitive’, that is, they do not sufficiently incorporate the causal relation between conflict and hunger. This generates a lack of detailed information in this respect, which hinders implementation of Security Council Resolution 2417. It is therefore necessary to advance towards an early warning system that considers the impact of the use of hunger as a weapon of war on the different dimensions of food security, and is capable of collecting empirical evidence at the local level in a regular and agile form. To that end, in this article we reflect on the existing difficulties in collecting and analysing such information, and propose theoretical and operational inputs for constructing conflict-sensitive early warning systems in contexts of acute food insecurity.