UN agencies appeal for El Nino prevention funds
- By AFP -
- Jun 18, 2026
ROME: The UN Food and Agriculture Organization and its World Food Program appealed Thursday for funds to enact prevention measures against the El Niño weather pattern.
The naturally occurring climate phenomenon brings worldwide changes in winds, air pressure, and rainfall patterns, and the last El Niño helped make 2023 and 2024 the two hottest years on record.
The Rome-based agencies said they were seeking an additional $167 million (145 million euros) in investment to help protect nearly 7.6 million people across 22 high-risk priority countries.
They said current funding could provide “anticipatory action for 1.2 million people projected to be affected by El Nino”.
“Experience consistently shows that early action is more effective and less costly than responding after a crisis has escalated,” the FAO’s Deputy Director-General Beth Bechdol said in a statement.
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The agencies said that every dollar invested in advance “can result in up to $7 in avoided losses and response costs”.
The money would fund various measures, including cash assistance, distribution of drought-tolerant seeds, livestock protection, water storage, and early warning systems.