Millions of Children at Risk as Hunger Relief Faces Major Budget Gaps
The United Nations World Food Program (WFP) warned Tuesday that crucial efforts to prevent child malnutrition in countries like Yemen, Afghanistan, and Syria may be halted in the coming months due to a lack of funding. The alert comes as government officials and humanitarian groups gather in Paris to address the worsening global hunger crisis.
“If we fail to act, we are condemning millions of children to a lifetime of suffering,” said WFP Executive Director Cindy McCain in a statement released ahead of the summit.
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The agency has faced a sharp decline in donations, particularly after the United States—its largest donor—suspended foreign aid spending for 90 days while reviewing funding priorities under the Trump administration’s “America First” policy. Last year, the US provided $4.5 billion of the WFP’s $9.8 billion budget.
The WFP is seeking $1.4 billion to fund prevention and treatment programs for 30 million mothers and children across 56 countries in 2025. Rising levels of malnutrition are linked to armed conflict, economic crises, and the effects of climate change.
In Yemen, where roughly one in three children under five is malnourished, prevention programs could stop as early as May. Similar suspensions are expected in Afghanistan unless funding resumes. In Syria and the Democratic Republic of Congo, program reductions are possible by June.
Earlier this month, the WFP said it may cut food rations for Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh. While the agency attributed the reduction to a general drop in donations, Bangladeshi officials told Reuters that the US freeze likely contributed.
