The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) says about 266 million people worldwide faced acute hunger in 2025, with conflicts identified as the leading driver of the most severe food crises.

The organisation’s new Executive Director, Luke J. Lindberg, disclosed this on Monday while calling for increased global support to provide food assistance to vulnerable populations.

Lindberg urged governments, businesses, institutions and individuals to support the agency’s humanitarian operations, warning that millions of people urgently need food.

He said conflicts continue to push people into hunger, while extreme weather conditions and disruptions to maritime supply routes worsen the situation.The WFP said its teams currently operate in 83 countries where hunger threatens livelihoods.

Lindberg called for urgent action to prevent further deterioration of food insecurity, stressing that the organisation could not sustain its life-saving operations without adequate support.

He succeeds Cindy McCain, who served as executive director from April 2023 to May 2026. Carl Skau has been acting executive director since June.

Before his appointment, Lindberg served as Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs at the United States Department of Agriculture.

He also founded a public-private partnership aimed at expanding international markets for exporters in his state, serving as its president and chief executive officer.

Lindberg previously worked as chief of staff and chief strategy officer at the Export-Import Bank of the United States.

The World Food Programme is the world’s largest humanitarian organisation, providing emergency food assistance and supporting communities recovering from conflicts, disasters and extreme weather events.