Zimbabwe listed in UN El Niño plan as WFP, FAO seek US$202m
Zimbabwe listed in UN El Niño plan as WFP, FAO seek US$202m
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Zimbabwe has been named among 22 high-risk countries targeted under a new United Nations anticipatory action appeal aimed at reducing the impact of forecast El Niño-related climate shocks on food security and livelihoods.
The World Food Programme (WFP) and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) this week launched a US$202 million Joint Anticipatory Action Appeal in Rome, saying the funding would support early interventions for nearly 8.8 million people across vulnerable regions before predicted extreme weather strikes.
In a statement announcing the initiative, WFP said the appeal seeks resources to “protect nearly nine million people from the potential impact of a strong El Niño weather pattern across 22 high-risk priority countries,” adding that scaling up anticipatory action would help “safeguard lives, livelihoods and food security.”
WFP’s country office in Zimbabwe also flagged the country’s inclusion, noting that Zimbabwe is among those considered most exposed to possible climate shocks expected to affect livelihoods and food security this year and into next year.
The appeal is the first time WFP and FAO have jointly launched a global initiative of this scale focused on anticipatory action, a model that aims to use climate forecasts and early warning information to trigger assistance ahead of disasters, rather than after households have already lost crops, livestock or income.
WFP Acting Executive Director Carl Skau said timing was critical.
“We cannot afford the fallout of another food crisis. With El Niño on the horizon, we have a narrow window to act so families are not forced into impossible choices later,” Skau said.
FAO Deputy Director-General Beth Bechdol said early action repeatedly proves more effective and less costly than responding after a crisis, and stressed the importance of financing being available before emergency thresholds are reached.
WFP and FAO said forecast El Niño conditions for 2026 could drive both drought and flooding across parts of Africa, Asia, the Pacific, and Latin America and the Caribbean, with potential disruption to planting seasons, harvests, pasture and water availability.
The agencies said early interventions under the appeal would include cash assistance, distribution of drought-tolerant and flood-resistant seeds, livestock protection, water-harvesting systems, flood mitigation infrastructure and strengthened early warning systems.
They said these measures are intended to help households protect livelihoods, stabilise food consumption and reduce longer-term recovery costs.
Zimbabwe’s listing among the priority countries comes as communities in several parts of the country, including areas of Mashonaland Central, have previously faced droughts and floods that affected agriculture, water supplies and rural incomes.
WFP and FAO said they are already positioned to support about 1.2 million people through existing anticipatory action frameworks, with plans to expand assistance to 8.8 million if additional funding is secured.
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