An estimated 1.6 million cases of children aged 6 to 59 months are expected to experience acute malnutrition between August 2024 and July 2025. This includes approximately 403,000 children likely to suffer from severe acute malnutrition (SAM). Compared to the same season last year, this represents a 14 and 22 percent increase in the burden of both global acute malnutrition (GAM) and SAM, respectively. Regarding nutrition, between October and December 2024 – a period marked by increased disease outbreaks and reduced food access – acute malnutrition is expected to worsen. In eight areas, the situation is projected to escalate to a higher IPC Phase than the current classification. In the remaining twenty-three areas, while deterioration is anticipated, conditions are likely to remain within the same IPC AMN Phase as observed between June and September 2024. This includes seven areas already classified as being in a Critical situation. The rest are expected to remain in the Serious, Alert, or Acceptable Phases, with no major deterioration foreseen.

• Introduce Risk Transfer Mechanisms, Anticipatory/Early Action: Provide timely multi-sectoral support to vulnerable communities in areas affected by drought and floods to mitigate the potential adverse effects of climate change and the La Niña phenomenon.

• Continue Lifesaving Humanitarian Response: Urgent funding is required for multi-sectoral humanitarian assistance for Food Security, Nutrition, Health, and WASH programmes.

• Social Protection Programmes: Social safety nets and human capital development programmes in both urban and rural areas should address predictable needs. Scale up shock-responsive social protection programs targeting the most vulnerable and at-risk households.

• Improved Efficiencies in Humanitarian Assistance: Improve the targeting of humanitarian assistance to ensure it reaches those most in need, using Vulnerability-Based Targeting (VBT) to prioritize the most vulnerable geographical areas, including marginalized communities and inaccessible locations. Close collaboration between humanitarian and development actors (HDP Nexus approach) is essential to support diverse and layered livelihood-based interventions that address the underlying causes of acute food insecurity and malnutrition.

• Durable and Sustainable Solutions: Establish a systematic approach to address urgent humanitarian needs followed by investments in early recovery and resilience building. Initiatives under resilience building should include a package of interventions such as strengthening early warning systems, implementing anticipatory measures, and investing in climate-resilient agriculture and food systems to better equip households to manage risks and shocks. Additionally, strategies must be developed to address food insecurity and malnutrition stemming from insecurity, conflict, and long-term population displacement.