Disasters are a leading cause of hunger, affecting all aspects of food security; therefore, reducing risk and building resilience are prerequisites to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 2, and to create a world with Zero Hunger. LAC is home to 9 of the world’s top-20 countries most vulnerable to natural disasters. Over the past 5 years, Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) countries have been affected by a variety of disasters and crises, including hurricanes (most recently Eta and Iota), recurrent droughts (i.e., the dry corridor that crosses El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua and Guatemala), the Venezuelan migratory and refugee crisis (that affect Colombia, Ecuador and Peru) and socio-political crisis, (i.e., in Haiti, Venezuela and Nicaragua).
With the exception of Haiti, the region is characterized by middle-income countries, with governments that are strengthening their disaster management systems as well as their social protection systems. However. these countries often require complementary assistance and/or technical assistance in order to ensure that these systems work together more effectively and become increasingly shock responsive. The region is also characterized by the presence of a number of vulnerable small island countries where WFP does not have a direct operational presence, but where WFP is often called upon to support emergency preparedness and response related initiatives.
The COVID-19 pandemic, which has particularly affected the LAC region, has not only exacerbated these pre-existing socio-economic inequalities, hampering access to food and nutrition and affecting the basic livelihoods of millions of people in the region but is also outpacing the capacity of the disaster management and social protection systems of many countries in this region, which are increasingly calling upon WFP Country Offices to complement their emergency response efforts.
The COVID-19 pandemic and natural disasters have had a profound impact on the living conditions, security, and dignity of vulnerable populations in the LAC region. In addition to these challenges, the region is also facing the largest exodus in its recent history, with over 7.1 million Venezuelans living outside their country of origin, and close to 6 million residing in the LAC region. Despite the imposition of mobility restrictions, refugees and migrants from Venezuela continue to migrate through irregular routes, exposing themselves to extremely adverse conditions in search of protection and better life opportunities. These individuals are often excluded from social protection systems and have limited socio-economic possibilities, exacerbating their dire needs and food insecurity.
The WFP Regional Bureau Panama is responsible not only for positioning WFP strategically in this region but also for providing support to its 13 (multi) Country Offices at the operational level in view of facilitating the design and implementation of programmes, strategies, and processes that strengthen the emergency response and preparedness capacities of their host countries, as well as managing risks that come with these operations.