Gaborone: Economic shocks have placed an estimated 46.3 million people across Botswana, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Eswatini, Lesotho, Madagascar, South Africa, and Tanzania at risk of acute food insecurity during the 2025/26 consumption period. As these shocks intensify, timely and harmonized vulnerability assessments are crucial to inform early action, response planning, and policy development.
According to African Press Organization, representatives from 11 Southern African Development Community (SADC) Member States, alongside regional and international partners such as the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), World Food Programme (WFP), Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET), and the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) Regional Support Unit, gathered virtually from July 14 to 16, 2025, for the Annual Dissemination Forum of the SADC Regional Vulnerability Assessment and Analysis (RVAA) Programme. This event was succeeded by the 29th Steering Committee meeting on July 17, 2025.
Despite challenges in data collection and budgetary constraints, seven Member States managed to complete their national assessments and presented their findings at the forum. These findings were instrumental in finalizing the 2025 Regional Synthesis Report on the State of Food and Nutrition Security in SADC, which was validated by the Regional Vulnerability Assessment Committee (RVAC).
Looking forward, FAO plans to continue working with SADC Member States and partners to enhance the quality and scope of vulnerability assessments in the region. This effort includes supporting the harmonization of tools and methodologies, promoting digital data collection systems, and encouraging cross-country learning and peer-to-peer exchange. FAO is dedicated to collaborating with the SADC Secretariat to bolster the institutional sustainability of the RVAA programme and incorporate early warning into broader disaster risk management systems.
The outcomes of the 29th Steering Committee meeting highlighted the urgent need to accelerate investment in regional food security analysis. The Committee emphasized the importance of mobilizing resources for the forthcoming landscape analysis of existing national frameworks, which will guide the development of a harmonized vulnerability assessment framework for the SADC region by 2026. FAO will continue to be a key technical partner in this process, providing expertise to ensure that the proposed framework is scalable, inclusive, and responsive to the complex drivers of vulnerability facing Southern Africa today.