Introduction
Food Security Clusters coordinate the food security response in humanitarian emergencies by addressing the issues of food availability, access and utilization.
In 2015, the international community appealed for US$ 19.5 billion for humanitarian assistance worldwide, including US$ 8 billion for food security (41% of global appeal) to assist over 55 million people in 37 countries. Alarmingly, funding has been lower than in 2014 (US$10.12 billion in 2015 vs.
US$ 10.8 billion in 2014 ), while the number of people targeted increased from 76 million to 78.9 million.
In this context, clusters more than ever have the urgent responsibility to make sure that the right people receive the right assistance (or are provided with the right options) in the most efficient and effective manner. Clusters also have the responsibility (i) to ensure that regular needs assessments are conducted, (ii) to establish robust information systems that contribute to guide humanitarian country teams and (iii) to develop strategic priorities, contingency and flexible response plans that build on the diversity of national and international partners and complement development frameworks.
Learning from the past and preparing for the future is the only way to remain fit-for-purpose. The global Food Security Cluster (gFSC) Annual Report highlights a number of progresses and achievements in that regard. In particular, the report describes how gFSC helped country-clusters to respond to these humanitarian crises.
The report must also be read in conjunction with the gFSC Strategic Plan 2015-16. The Strategic Plan was the result of a consultative process with global partners and country-based Cluster Coordinators. The strategy was strongly building on the set of seven recommendations that emerged from the FAO/WFP joint evaluation of food security cluster in 2014.
2015 marked a clear commitment from global partners to food security coordination, both in terms of time and financial contribution, as well as through their willingness to play a more active role in gFSC governance.
However, despite significant achievements in 2015, there is no time or space for complacency. Crises grow both in numbers and complexity year after year. The number of displaced people is the highest on record since World War II.
More aid workers are being targeted in violent attacks than ever before. These attacks are a violation of International Humanitarian Law (IHL).
Finally, the World Humanitarian Summit that the United Nations will convene in Istanbul, Turkey on 23 and 24 May 2016 is calling for the humanitarian system to act with collective humanity to lift people in crisis from fear and helplessness into stable and sustainable solutions. GFSC embraced that paradigm and concrete achievements in that direction in 2015, to be continued in 2016, are covered by the annual report.