World Food Programme Warns Donor Cuts Are Pushing Millions Toward Hunger

The United Nations food aid agency warned Wednesday that severe funding cuts from its main donors are affecting its operations in six countries, noting that nearly 14 million people could be driven to alarming levels of hunger.

The World Food Programme (WFP), traditionally the best-funded UN agency, said in a new report that its financing “has never been more difficult” than this year, largely due to spending reductions in the United States under President Donald Trump’s administration and among other key Western donors.

According to the agency, 13.7 million people who rely on its food assistance could face extreme hunger as a result of the funding shortfall. The nations facing “severe disruptions” are Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Haiti, Somalia, South Sudan, and Sudan, it said.

“We are watching the livelihoods of millions of people fall apart before our eyes,” said WFP Executive Director Cindy McCain.

The agency said it expects to receive 40% less funding this year, amounting to about $6.4 billion compared to roughly $10 billion last year.

“This is not just a funding gap — it’s a gap between what we need to do and what we can afford to do,” McCain added. “We risk losing decades of progress in the fight against hunger.”

The Rome-based agency reported that global hunger has already reached record levels, with 319 million people experiencing acute food insecurity, including 44 million at emergency levels. Famine has broken out in Gaza and Sudan.

In Afghanistan, food assistance reaches less than 10% of those facing food insecurity — people who do not know where their next meal will come from, the agency explained.

The WFP expects to receive about $1.5 billion from the United States this year, down from nearly $4.5 billion last year, while other major donors have also scaled back their contributions.

Many UN agencies, including those focused on migration, health, and refugees, have announced deep cuts to their aid and staff this year due to shrinking support from traditional major donors. The broader humanitarian community has also been hit hard by reduced funding from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).