ROME, March 28 – The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has warned that 58 million people could face extreme hunger or even starvation if urgent funding is not secured, Reuters reported.
A report released in Rome on Friday revealed that donor contributions, including those from the United States, have dropped sharply.
The WFP expects a 40% decrease in funding in 2025 compared to last year, putting food aid programs in 28 crisis-hit regions—including Gaza, Sudan, Syria, and Congo—at risk.
“We are approaching a funding crisis with life-threatening consequences,” said Rania Dagash-Kamara, WFP’s Assistant Executive Director for Partnerships and Innovation.
She added that WFP is focusing on the worst-affected areas and stretching food supplies to help as many people as possible.
Globally, 343 million people are facing severe food insecurity due to conflict, economic instability, and climate change. The WFP aims to assist 123 million of them in 2025, but nearly half could lose food aid without more funding.
So far, WFP has received just $1.57 billion in 2025, compared to $9.75 billion for all of 2024—far below its $21.1 billion target.
While the agency did not single out specific countries for reducing their contributions, its website shows that the United States, its largest donor, has provided only about 10% of the $4.45 billion it contributed last year.
Under President Donald Trump, the U.S. government is reviewing its foreign aid programs and has significantly cut funding to USAID.
Although U.S. food donations to WFP were briefly suspended, they resumed in February under an emergency waiver.
Other countries, including Britain, have also reduced their aid commitments. Caritas Europa, an anti-poverty group, has reported that several European nations are considering further cuts.
The WFP urgently needs $2.49 billion to continue emergency food aid in countries like Sudan, South Sudan, Congo, Palestine, Syria, Yemen, Lebanon, Myanmar, and Haiti, as well as Africa’s Sahel and Lake Chad Basin regions.
Without immediate funding, food programs for malnourished children in Yemen, Afghanistan, and Syria could end within months.
The WFP has already reduced rations for Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh due to limited resources and recently announced the closure of its Southern Africa bureau because of financial constraints.