Gender alert: Food security risks of the Middle East escalation for women and girls

Global Food and Nutrition Security

This publication explores the impact of the escalation in the Middle East and disruptions to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz on food security risks for women and girls.

Based on analysis of data from 28 countries, UN Women estimated that an additional 11.7 million women and girls could face food insecurity by the end of 2026 as the escalation and disruptions drive up food, energy, fertilizer, and transport costs. Across the 28 countries analyzed, women and girls account for 53 per cent of the projected 22 million additional people who could face food insecurity by the end of the year. These scenario-based estimates and come on top of an estimated 208 million women and girls already facing food insecurity across the countries analyzed.

The gender alert emphasizes the need for an integrated response to rising food insecurity that meets the needs of women and girls through food and cash assistance, nutrition, protection, livelihoods, and agricultural support. It calls for strengthening women’s access to land, credit, essential services, and other productive assets that can help households withstand food-price shocks and protect livelihoods.

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Gender alert: Food security risks of the Middle East escalation for women and g…

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Authors	Un Women
Geographic coverage	Global
Available from	07 Oct 2026
Related organisation(s)	UN - United Nations
Knowledge service \| Metadata	Global Food and Nutrition Security \| Food crises and food and nutrition security Gender Equality and Food Systems \| Food and nutrition security Food crisis Sex disaggregated data
Digital Europa Thesaurus (DET)	woman gender equality

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