Funding crisis in UNWFP; will be forced to cut off food aid

UNITED NATIONS: The World Food Programme of the United Nations asserted that at least 38 of the 86 nations it works in, including Afghanistan, have seen aid reductions or are planning to do so soon, reported by Khaama Press.

Carl Skau, the Deputy Executive Director of the United Nations World Food Program said that the UN has been dealing with a ‘crippling funding crisis’, forcing it to reduce food, cash payments, and support to millions of people in numerous countries. The UN’s donation has fallen by roughly half, reported Khaama Press, citing a top official of the UN.

He also mentioned that apart from Afghanistan, it includes Syria, Yemen, and West Africa. During this time of crisis, acute hunger has reached record levels, reported Khaama Press.

Carl mentioned that as of now, the WFP has been receiving approx. 10 billion to 14 billion, which isn’t enough and require around 20 billion dollars in operating funds to provide aid. “We are still aiming at that, but we have only so far this year gotten to about half of that, around USD 5 billion,” Carl said.

He further added that the WFP was obliged to reduce food supplies for eight million people – which is 66 per cent of the population – it was assisting after it was asked to reduce them for people in Afghanistan facing acute hunger in March.

“Now, it is helping just five million people. In Syria, 5.5 million people who relied on WFP for food were already on 50 per cent rations, and in July, the agency cut all rations to 2.5 million of them,” Carl stated.

“Just nine per cent of the 4.6 billion dollars needed for Afghanistan’s initial Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP) had been received as of June of this year. On the other hand, in the Palestinian territories, WFP cut its cash assistance by 20 per cent in May and in June, and cut its caseload by 60 per cent, or 200,000 people. Moreover, a huge funding gap in Yemen would force WFP to cut aid to seven million people as early as August,” Carl added.

The financial gaps will affect more than 31,500 households with severely undernourished children and would deny access to vital integrated cash packages for nutrition due to a lack of financing.

Additionally, about 2.6 million individuals need access to clean drinking water, 1.5 million miss out on education about hygiene and safety, 1.6 million lack necessary non-food items, and 8,44,000 are exposed to poor sanitation.

The Khaama Press reported that if the funding shortfalls are not filled, WFP has warned that the organisation’s budget for food assistance will end by the end of October 2023.