'UN forced to cut food assistance to millions due to funding crisis'

At least 38 of the 86 countries where WFP operates have already seen cuts or plan to cut aid soon

UNITED NATIONS: The United Nations has been forced to cut food, cash payments and assistance to millions of people in many countries because of “a crippling funding crisis” that has seen its donations plummet by about half as acute hunger is hitting record levels, a top official said Friday.

Carl Skau, deputy executive director of the World Food Programme, told a news conference that at least 38 of the 86 countries where WFP operates have already seen cuts or plan to cut assistance soon including Afghanistan, Syria, Yemen and West Africa.

He said WFP’s operating requirement is USD 20 billion to deliver aid to everyone in need, but it was aiming for between USD 10 billion and USD 14 billion, which was what the agency had received in the past few years.

“We’re still aiming at that, but we have only so far this year gotten to about half of that, around USD 5 billion,” Skau said.

He said humanitarian needs were “going through the roof” in 2021 and 2022 because of the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine and its global implications. “Those needs continue to grow, those drivers are still there,” he said, “but the funding is drying up. So we’re looking at 2024 (being) even more dire.”