Send cash in large amounts, most urgently. No questions asked. That was the call from the U.N.’s World Food Programme on Tuesday as it warned it is struggling to feed even a third of the 318 million people facing severe hunger in 2026.
“Declines in global humanitarian funding are forcing WFP to prioritise food assistance to roughly one third of those in need,” targeting 110 million of the most vulnerable, it said in a statement as seen and reported by AFP.
That would cost $13 billion, the agency estimated — but warned “current funding forecasts indicate WFP may only receive close to half that goal.”
The WFP’s largest donor is the United States which, under President Donald Trump, has cut foreign aid, including to U.N. agencies. Other big donors, including some European nations, have also shrunk their humanitarian budgets, AFP notes.
Trump’s move was part of a wider directive to hold the U.N. to account for its spending and almost limitless calls for money.
The 318 million people facing acute hunger is more than double the figure recorded in 2019, as conflict, extreme weather and economic instability have taken their toll, the WFP said.
U.N. agencies this year declared famine in Gaza and parts of Sudan, something that WFP executive director Cindy McCain called “completely unacceptable in the 21st century.”
In a foreword to the WFP’s 2026 Global Outlook report, she despaired the world’s response “remains slow, fragmented and underfunded”.
“Global aid now covers less than half of total needs, with steep reductions in food assistance. Almost all operations have had to cut food and cash, and prioritise which vulnerable group receive help,” she wrote.
“At the same time, attacks on aid workers have surged, revealing a growing disregard for international humanitarian law.”
The U.N.’s yearly budget consists of a regular budget for core functions and separate budgets for peacekeeping operations, which operate on a different fiscal cycle.
The regular budget for 2025 is approximately $3.7 billion, while the peacekeeping budget for 2025-2026 is around $5.38 billion.
The U.N. System employs over 133,000 people across all its organizations, according to 2023 data.
This number includes staff from specialized agencies like the World Food Programme and UNICEF, and is a significant increase from just a few years ago.
Follow Simon Kent on Twitter: Follow @SunSimonKent or e-mail to: [email protected]
Read the full article here