The French Initiative for Food Security and Nutrition (FIFSAN) : France supports the fight against hunger for a fairer world

A solution to the food and nutrition emergencies

In a global context affected by a proliferation of crises - climatic, geopolitical, and socioeconomic - approximately 733 million people suffered from hunger in 2023, or one in 11 people worldwide.

Current conflicts are exacerbating food crises in countries already in a state of chronic fragilities, such as Sudan, the Gaza Strip, Yemen, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Haiti, and Myanmar.

In response, France has been implementing the French Initiative for Food Security and Nutrition (FIFSAN) since 2004, which supports a number of ambitious and targeted projects. This initiative aims to respond to situations of acute food and nutritional insecurity while addressing the structural causes of undernutrition with the aim of strengthening the resilience of vulnerable populations.

Beyond the emergency: feeding today to strengthen tomorrow

FIFSAN funds concrete projects in areas where the population is particularly affected by hunger and malnutrition. Its hybrid approach combines emergency response, support for community resilience, and crisis prevention. FIFSAN supports the following activities in particular:

• combating undernutrition,
• supporting school meals programs,
• encouraging sustainable agriculture and agroecology,
• promoting maternal and child health,
• supporting small local producers,
• ensuring decent employment for young people.

Through FIFSAN, France is investing in stability and peace, while contributing to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations 2030 Agenda.

More than half of the projects focus on combating undernutrition among pregnant and breastfeeding women, as well as children under the age of two (the so-called “first 1,000 days” period, which is crucial for physical and cognitive development). France’s strengthened action on nutrition is in line with the commitments made at the Nutrition for Growth Summit- N4G, held in Paris in March 2025, during which the President of the Republic announced France’s support for the fight against malnutrition to the tune of €750 million by 2030.

An action targeting global affairs

FIFSAN operates at the intersection of several major global issues: combating inequality, particularly gender inequality; promoting reproductive, maternal, neonatal, and child health; protecting the environment; and preventing population displacement linked to food crises. It is an instrument that promotes international peace, security, and solidarity.

In 2024 :

• Almost all FIFSAN projects aimed to combat gender inequality.
• 7 out of 10 projects funded initiatives promoting the health of women, mothers, and children.
• Half of the projects included activities to adapt to climate change.
• More than a third of the projects included activities to mitigate climate change.
• 30% of the projects targeted initiatives to combat desertification.

FIFSAN key figures for 2024: targeted and measurable aid

2024 marks a turning point for FIFSAN, both in terms of the resources mobilized and the results achieved. The French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs has funded 72 projects in 40 countries and territories, for a total amount of over €181 million. FIFSAN in figures:

• 40 beneficiary countries, mainly spread across two large geographical areas: sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East,
• 25 civil society organizations and 5 international organizations such as the World Food Programme (WFP), FAO, and UNICEF supported through this program,
• 72 projects financially supported,
• More than 5 million beneficiaries, the majority of whom are women and children,
• 27 school meals programs funded in 2024,
• The primary beneficiary of FIFSAN is the World Food Programme (WFP). In 2024, 76% of the FIFSAN budget benefited international organizations (notably FAO, UNICEF, and UNRWA), and 24% was allocated to international and local NGOs.

Updated: September 2025