Countries: World, Bangladesh, Burkina Faso, Haiti, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Myanmar, Niger, Pakistan, Uganda, Zimbabwe Source: Welthungerhilfe Please refer to the attached file. SUMMARY Drought, extreme heat and erratic rainfall threaten crops, livestock, and water supplies across Southern Africa and the Sahel, while parts of East Africa face heightened risks of flooding and storms after an extended dry period. At the same time, communities in South Asia, Central America and the Caribbean are exposed to worsening water scarcity, agricultural losses, and resulting livelihood disruption. The 2026 ‘El Niño’ global climate phenomenon is already classified as ‘strong’ and is expected to intensify into a ‘very strong’ and exceptional event, with a near 100% likelihood of persisting through February 2027. El Niño is already intensifying the risk of drought, floods, and extreme heat as well as significantly altering rainfall and temperature patterns across many regions. Meanwhile, the latest World Meteorological Organization (WMO) outlook warns that, the event could become stronger than anything observed since modern monitoring began, with impacts expected to multiply and cascade across communities, economies, and supply chains. El Niño is therefore acting as a risk multiplier, amplifying the effects of existing food insecurity, displacement, conflict, and economic pressures. FEWS NET similarly highlights growing food security risks in vulnerable regions where climate shocks are already compounding impacts on fragile livelihoods and markets. The time to act is now, before these risks develop into a larger humanitarian crisis. Welthungerhilfe (WHH) and its vast network of national civil society partners are ready to work and scale on three levels: risk communication and readiness, taking anticipatory action when forecast thresholds are reached, and rapidly scaling up assistance when impacts materialize. Ready to act - and ready to scale As a civil society organization, WHH is the leading implementer of German-funded Anticipatory Action, with established operational structures, local partnerships, Action Anticipatory Plans (AAPs), and trigger models already in place across highrisk contexts. With more than 20 Anticipatory Action activations globally across slow- and rapid-onset hazards, WHH and its partners have demonstrated their ability to translate forecasts and early warnings into timely action before impacts materialize, even when the window of opportunity for action is narrow. This existing readiness provides a strong foundation to anticipate and respond to the impacts of a ‘very strong’ El Niño. While WHH and its partners are already prepared to act, the scale and severity of the anticipated impacts require us to reach more people at risk, expand support to additional high-risklocations, and scale up anticipatory and rapid response measures before impacts escalate into larger humanitarian crises. Comprehensive risk analyses, as well as established contingency plans, operational structures, and local partner networks enable WHH and its partners to act rapidly as risks and needs evolve - protecting people, livelihoods, and essential assets.
Sep 15, 2026 · byReliefWeb