Programmes in Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Haiti, Somalia, South Sudan, and Sudan are facing severe disruptions, with conditions worsening.
“Every ration cut means a child goes to bed hungry, a mother skips a meal, or a family loses the support they need to survive,” said WFP Executive Director Cindy McCain.
Record hunger, reduced budget
Global hunger has reached unprecedented levels, with 319 million people facing acute food insecurity, including 44 million at an emergency level. Famine has also affected Sudan and the Gaza Strip.
WFP anticipates receiving 40 percent less funding this year, projecting a $6.4 billion budget, down from $10 billion in 2024.
“We are at risk of losing decades of progress in the fight against hunger,” said Ms. McCain.
“Even hard-won gains in the Sahel region, where 500,000 people have been lifted out of aid dependence with integrated food assistance and resilience programmes, could soon be wiped out without continued support.”
Critical operations at risk
The cuts could cause 13.7 million people relying on WFP food assistance to move from crisis to emergency hunger levels – a one-third increase, the agency reported.
In Afghanistan, “dramatic reductions” mean less than 10 percent of those in need receive food assistance, despite rising malnutrition rates.
The DRC is experiencing record hunger levels, with approximately 28 million people, or a quarter of the population, food insecure.
WFP intended to feed 2.3 million people there this month, reduced to 600,000, with a potential “complete pipeline break” by February.
“In Haiti, hot meal programmes have already stopped, and families receive half of WFP’s standard monthly rations,” while “support in Somalia has been repeatedly downsized,” from 2.2 million last year to just 350,000 in November.
All WFP recipients in South Sudan now have reduced rations, “missing some food items from October as in-country stocks run out.”
Currently, WFP supports four million monthly in war-torn Sudan, but 25 million, half the population, face acute food insecurity.
Commitment to deliver
WFP’s preparation efforts have deteriorated. For the first time in nearly a decade, no contingency stocks exist for Haiti’s hurricane season, and no food pre-positioning is in Afghanistan as winter nears.
Despite various impacts across operations, the agency is dedicated to delivering food assistance to the world’s hungriest regions.
“The devastating harm inflicted by cuts to food assistance not only threatens lives but also risks undermining stability, fuelling displacement, and stoking wider social and economic upheaval,” said Ms. McCain.
“Swift and effective food assistance is a vital bulwark against chaos in nations already struggling to cope.”
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