How the world declares a famine: the IPC, its partners and the Famine Review Committee

Background

The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, the IPC, is the global partnership that grades how severe food insecurity is in a given place. It includes the UN emergency food agency, the World Food Programme, and the Food and Agriculture Organization. It issues food insecurity alerts based on nutrition surveys, death rates and crop and market evidence. Within the IPC, a Famine Review Committee assesses whether the evidence supports a famine classification, and it can state that there is not enough survey data for a full analysis. This is the body behind every reputable statement that a region faces famine, which is why its alerts rather than any single government's word are cited. Understanding the IPC is what lets a reader judge a hunger headline rather than simply repeat it.