UN food aid agency welcomes US$800m donation from US
ROME, Italy (AFP) — The United Nations (UN) food aid agency, which has been hit hard by steep European and United States (US) funding cuts, on Wednesday welcomed a US$800 million contribution from the United States.
The World Food Programme (WFP), in a statement, said the funds would support “life-saving food and nutrition operations to reach more than 38 million of the most vulnerable across at least 37 countries”.
The Rome-based WFP said earlier this month it was facing a deep shortfall in its funding at a time of acute need.
The agency received US$10 billion in contributions in 2024, but last year the amount had shrunk to US$6 billion.
The deep cuts have come while the challenges have been multiplying, including from the war in the Middle East, which has piled on logistical difficulties and hiked prices for aid deliveries in a range of countries.
“At a time when needs are outpacing resources, this generous support from the United States is coming at a critical moment,” the WFP’s Acting Executive Director Carl Skau said.
The WFP has said it wants to reach 110 million people in the most acute need around the world this year, for which it would require US$13 billion.
