The United States has suspended emergency food assistance to 14 countries, putting the lives of millions facing hunger and starvation at grave risk, the United Nations World Food Program (WFP) said on Monday.
Already struggling with a 40% reduction in its funding this year, the WFP confirmed that it had been informed of the latest US decision to halt aid to these countries.
While the WFP did not publicly name the affected nations in its statement on X (formerly Twitter), it warned: “If implemented, this could amount to a death sentence for millions of people facing extreme hunger and starvation.”
The WFP is among several UN agencies hit hard by US funding cuts, as the administration of President Donald Trump adopts an increasingly isolationist policy, pulling back from global humanitarian commitments.
The UN Population Fund (UNFPA), which promotes sexual and reproductive health services worldwide, also confirmed that the US has terminated two of its programs — one in Afghanistan and another in Syria, AFP reported.
The Trump administration has significantly scaled down USAID, the primary US foreign assistance agency, which once operated with a budget of $42.8 billion — accounting for 42% of global humanitarian aid disbursements.
The US is not alone in slashing international aid budgets. Several other donor countries have also announced reductions in recent months, raising serious concerns among international organizations and humanitarian groups over the growing funding crisis.
