Both the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Food Program (WFP) warned on Wednesday of 16 areas where famine was an imminent risk.

The two UN bodies also called for more funding as many international aid organizations struggle amidst the rollback of US support under President Donald Trump.

"We are on the brink of a completely preventable hunger catastrophe that threatens widespread starvation in multiple countries," WFP Executive Director Cindy McCain said, warning that failing to address this "will only drive further instability, migration, and conflict."

In the joint report, the groups said "populations face an imminent risk of catastrophic hunger" in "Haiti, Mali, Palestine, South Sudan, Sudanand  Yemen."

At the same time, Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Myanmar, Nigeria, Somalia, Syria, Burkina Faso, Chad, Kenya, and Rohingya refugee camps in Bangladesh were listed as areas of "very high concern."

Drastic funding increase needed

The report also noted that funding for humanitarian aid was "dangerously short" of what was needed, saying the two bodies had only received $10.5 billion of the $29 billion necessary to keep operations fully functioning.

The FAO warned that failure to stay fully funded would threaten food supply and create "recurring crises." Money for seeds and livestock health services was desperately needed, the organization said, "before planting seasons begin or new shocks occur."

"Famine prevention is not just a moral duty, it is a smart investment in long-term peace and stability," said FAO chief Qu Dongyu. "Peace is a prerequisite for food security and the right to food is a basic human right."

Scientists have long warned that the poorest and most conflict-ridden areas of the world will be most impacted by climate change, and that food shortages there will have ripple effects on the rest of the world.

Edited by Sean Sinico