Why in News:
On 22 August 2025, the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) determined that famine is taking place in Gaza – the first such confirmation outside Africa.Nearly 2 years after Israel’s military campaign (post Hamas attack of 7 Oct 2023), food insecurity has worsened.
Description:
About IPC
- Full Form: Integrated Food Security Phase Classification.
- Nature: Independent global body (funded mainly by Western countries).
- Recognition: Widely accepted as the primary global system for measuring severity of hunger crises.
- Oversight: By 19 humanitarian organisations & regional bodies.
- Partnerships: Works with national governments, UN World Food Programme (WFP), relief agencies.
- Purpose:
- Provide scientific, standardised hunger assessment.
- Sound the alarm before mass starvation.
- Guide policy & relief operations.
IPC Classification System
- Hunger is measured on a five-phase scale:
- Minimal
- Stressed
- Crisis
- Emergency
- Catastrophe/Famine (most severe)
Famine Criteria (Phase 5):
- ≥ 20% of the population are facing extreme food shortages.
- ≥ 30% children acutely malnourished.
- ≥ 2 deaths per 10,000 per day (starvation/malnutrition + disease).
Note: IPC does not “declare” famine formally; it provides analysis for governments, UN agencies, etc.
Precedents of IPC-confirmed famines
- Somalia – 2011
- South Sudan – 2017, 2020
- Sudan – 2024
- Gaza – 2025 (first outside Africa)
Significance
- First famine classification outside Africa.
- Brings global attention to humanitarian crises.
- Highlights role of independent, science-based food security monitoring.
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