IASC Members Ring the Warning Bells: Famine Risk in 2021 Format According to the World Food Programme (WFP) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), over 34 million people around the world are facing emergency levels of acute food insecurity (Integrated Food Insecurity Phase Classification (IPC) 4). Without urgent action, they risk falling into famine or famine-like conditions. In February 2021, WFP and FAO issued a Call for Action to Avert Famine in 2021, warning of a massive scale-up in food insecurity. Around 174 million people are in IPC Phase 3 (Crisis) or worse in 58 countries, compared to 135 million in 2019. Economic shocks and the socio-impacts of COVID-19, weather extremes and conflict dynamics are some of the key drivers associated with this dramatic increase.