# UN Agency Warns 11.7 Million More Women and Girls Risk Hunger From Middle East Conflict and Hormuz Disruptions

*Saturday, October 3, 2026 at 8:05 AM UTC — Hamer Intelligence Services Desk*

**Published**: 2026-10-03T08:05:41.645Z (2h ago)
**Category**: humanitarian | **Region**: Global
**Importance**: 8/10
**Sources**: OSINT
**Permalink**: https://hamerintel.com/data/articles/19540.md
**Source**: https://hamerintel.com/summaries

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**Deck**: UN Women estimates that about 11.7 million additional women and girls in 28 countries could face food insecurity this year as conflict in the Middle East and disruptions around the Strait of Hormuz raise prices and cut into livelihoods.

UN Women has put a stark number on how current crises could ripple through household kitchens far from the front lines: 11.7 million.

In a report released Friday, the agency said about 11.7 million additional women and girls in 28 countries could be at risk of food insecurity by the end of this year. It links the projected rise to escalating conflict in the Middle East and disruptions around the Strait of Hormuz that are driving up food prices and damaging livelihoods in the region and beyond.

The summary published so far does not list the 28 countries, but it points to places where families already struggle with high import dependence, tight budgets, and limited safety nets. In such settings, higher costs for grain, fuel, and transport quickly translate into fewer meals or cheaper, less nutritious food.

The report underlines that shocks around the Strait of Hormuz matter because the area is a key route for global energy and trade. When shipping through the region is threatened or disrupted, insurers and traders raise prices. Those increases filter into the cost of food and basic goods in distant markets.

Within households, UN Women stresses that women and girls are often hit harder by these pressures. They are more likely to work in informal or low-paid sectors sensitive to economic downturns, and in many societies they are the first to cut back on food when money runs short.

The warning arrives as conflicts and trade disruptions continue to overlap. Fighting in the Middle East can damage local economies directly, while also feeding into global price spikes through worries over supply routes near Hormuz.

Important signals to watch will be how donor governments and humanitarian agencies respond to the report’s gender-focused findings, whether any de-escalation around Hormuz eases price pressures, and if national authorities in high-risk states adjust subsidies or assistance programs to shield women and girls from deepening food insecurity.