Strongest El Niño on record prompts UN appeal to shield at-risk countries

United Nations agencies have called for urgent and coordinated action to protect the world’s most vulnerable nations from the strongest El Niño event on record, which is forecast to peak in December 2026.

Celeste Saulo, head of the UN’s weather and climate agency, described the event as potentially “unprecedented in strength,” with sea surface temperatures more than two degrees Celsius above normal in the central Pacific. The World Meteorological Organization and the UN aid chief Tom Fletcher warned that the extreme weather, including floods, droughts, and cyclones, will have severe human impacts lasting into 2027 and beyond.

Fletcher highlighted that regions such as Latin America, eastern and southern Africa, Asia, and the Pacific are at particular risk. He emphasized that the overlapping crises of conflict, displacement, soaring fuel and food prices, and cuts in international aid are weakening countries’ ability to respond. As many as 50 million people could face increased hunger.

The UN has already released $50 million to assist 11 frontline countries, including Chad, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Somalia, and South Sudan. Fletcher stressed the next two weeks as a critical window to provide supplies such as seeds, livestock, and livelihood assistance ahead of expected heavy rains and droughts.

He also warned that the economic shocks and humanitarian consequences will extend beyond frontline countries, potentially driving further conflict, displacement, and migration globally. The UN called on governments, development banks, and financial institutions to mobilize funding promptly to mitigate the worst impacts.