Press briefing by UN Women on the severe food insecurity crisis in Sudan

Since the conflict started in mid-April 2023, women and girls have been disproportionately affected by the escalating food crisis. And with conditions now near famine thresholds in several regions of the country, it is not just a food crisis but a gender emergency caused by a failure of gender-responsive action. Women and girls are bearing the brunt of severe food insecurity, with fewer resources, less access to aid and greater exposure to risk.

According to the latest Gender Snapshot by the GiHA Working Group, 75 per cent of female-headed households in Sudan are now food insecure. The proportion facing severe food insecurity has nearly doubled in just one year – from 14 per cent in 2024 to nearly 26 per cent in early 2025. Today, female-headed households are three times more likely to be food insecure than those led by men.

This is the result of systemic inequalities, compounded by conflict and displacement. Women are increasingly left to head households alone – due to the death, disappearance or forced displacement of male family members. And yet, they face the greatest barriers to food, income and aid.

Nearly half of all female-headed households report poor food consumption. Only one-third have access to an acceptable diet. And more than 70 per cent of women nationally do not meet minimum dietary diversity standards, putting maternal and child health at grave risk.

But amid this crisis, women are not only victims of conflict – they are also powerful agents of change. Women-led organizations (WLOs) are reaching last-mile communities and saving lives, yet remain underfunded and excluded from key decision-making. By supporting women-led initiatives, we are strengthening the resilience of entire communities.

They are running food kitchens and delivering meals, yet remain under-recognized. One women-led organization operating across eight states was recently forced to shut down more than half of its food kitchens – not because the need had diminished, but because the funding did. We must act – and we must act now.

UN Women calls for the following urgent actions:

1. Prioritize female-headed households and at-risk groups – including pregnant and breastfeeding women and adolescent girls – in all food assistance.
2. Fund and elevate women-led food support initiatives with flexible, direct and predictable financing.
3. Integrate women-led organizations into decision-making at all levels of the humanitarian response.
4. Link food assistance to protection and recovery, including gender-based violence mitigation and women’s livelihoods.
5. Track gender outcomes, not just outputs – because tonnage alone does not tell the full story.

In closing, let us not wait for famine to be declared before we act. Let us listen to women, fund their leadership and put gender equality at the heart of our response. Things are getting worse, but with bold, coordinated and gender-responsive action, we can turn the tide.