El Salvador: Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan Summary 2024

1.1M
PEOPLE IN NEED

506.2K
PEOPLE TARGETED

$86.6M
REQUIREMENTS (US$)

Needs

Extreme weather events, rising food insecurity, high levels of human mobility, and escalating living costs and inflation due to global economic trends are driving humanitarian needs in El Salvador. Overall, 1.1 million people require humanitarian assistance.

The World Food Programme's (WFP) National Food Security Survey from June 2023 estimates that just over 1 million people suffer from moderate to severe food insecurity, or about 17 per cent of the population. This is mainly due to economic and climate-related factors, particularly the current drought and El Niño, which is likely to persist into early 2024. The El Niño event is worsening inequality in access to basic services, exacerbating food insecurity, and increasing rates of child malnutrition. Additionally, the risk of diseases may rise due to the lack of safe drinking water and sanitation.

El Salvador serves as both a source and transit point for people on the move. From October 2022 to September 2023, authorities intercepted more than 62,800 Salvadorans at the United States' southern border. In 2022, there were 14,437 returnees, marking a 70 per cent increase from 2021.

Violence incidents have decreased, allowing for greater access to communities previously controlled by gangs. These areas now require an expansion of protection services to meet their accumulated unmet needs and their limited ability to cope and develop.

At least 611,000 women need humanitarian assistance due to the combined effects of food insecurity, limited livelihood opportunities, reduced purchasing power and gender-based violence.

Response

In 2024, the humanitarian community seeks to assist 506,214 of the most vulnerable people, which is about 45 per cent of those in need, for which the Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP) 2024 requires US$86.6 million. The number of people in need for 2024 has slightly increased from 2023, mainly due to drought conditions caused by El Niño and the increased need for protection services in communities that were previously inaccessible.

Compared to 2023, the HRP 2024 is seeking $11.8 million less to support response. This reduction aligns with a global pivot to a more disciplined focus on urgent needs and a more efficient response. Changes from the HRP 2023 also follow a transition to updated joint analysis frameworks.

The HRP is based on collectively identified shocks that drive humanitarian needs, mainly migration flows and El Niño conditions. The plan includes intersectoral response activities to address the humanitarian consequences of these shocks, especially focusing on people facing food insecurity and those in previously inaccessible communities. These response activities seek to complement the country's ongoing development projects and Government efforts.