Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC)

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• More than 500,000 people in Gaza are trapped in famine, according to the latest IPC analysis. This crisis is characterized by widespread starvation, destitution, and preventable deaths.

What is Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC)?

• An independent global system funded by Western countries, widely recognized as the principal tool for measuring hunger crises worldwide.

• Established to raise early warnings to prevent famine and mass starvation and to support humanitarian responses.

• Overseen by 19 major humanitarian organizations and regional bodies and collaborates closely with national governments.

• A multi-stakeholder initiative aiming to improve food security and nutrition data analysis to inform policymaking.

How Does IPC Determine Famine?

• IPC classifies acute food insecurity on a five-phase scale:

  • Phase 1: Minimal

  • Phase 2: Stressed

  • Phase 3: Crisis

  • Phase 4: Emergency

  • Phase 5: Catastrophe/Famine (most severe)

• For famine classification, these conditions must be met:

  • At least 20% of people face extreme food shortages.

  • One in three children suffers from acute malnutrition.

  • Two deaths per 10,000 people per day occur due to starvation or malnutrition-related diseases.

• A famine review committee of experts is activated to verify these conditions if famine is suspected.

• IPC does not officially declare famine but provides data and analysis to governments and organizations who do.

• It uses data from sources like the UN World Food Programme, relief organizations, and government agencies.

• The protocols are harmonized across three scales:

  • Acute Food Insecurity

  • Chronic Food Insecurity

  • Acute Malnutrition