Funding shortfalls force deep cuts to Syria food assistance: WFP

This article is published in association with United Nations.

Millions of Syrians are at growing risk of hunger after severe funding shortages forced the UN World Food Programme (WFP) to halve emergency food assistance, cutting support for hundreds of thousands of vulnerable people across the country.

UN officials warn that the cuts come at a dangerous moment, as families – already struggling to survive – are now forced to skip meals, reduce portion sizes and rely on less nutritious food. Children are particularly vulnerable, with prolonged food deprivation sharply increasing the risk of malnutrition.

“We are being forced to withdraw a vital safety net at a time when people need it most with serious implications for food security, social cohesion, and stability, leaving the most vulnerable of families with even fewer options to cope” said Marianne Ward, WFP Country Director in Syria.

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Food insecurity across Syria

Last year, the agency reached 5.8 million people across all 14 governorates through emergency food assistance, nutrition support, livelihoods programmes and social protection initiatives. But ongoing funding shortages are now forcing operations to shrink from 14 governorates to just seven.

“The reduction in WFP’s assistance is driven solely by funding constraints, not by a decrease in needs,” said Ms. Ward.

Across Syria, more than seven million people are acutely food insecure, including 1.6 million facing emergency conditions, according to agency estimates.

Bread lifeline disappears

WFP has also halted its nationwide bread subsidy programme, one of the country’s last remaining large-scale safety nets that previously helped millions of Syrians afford daily bread.

The initiative supported more than 300 bakeries, providing them with fortified wheat and helping subsidized bread reach up to four million people every day in some of Syria’s most fragile areas.

Aid officials warn that the loss of affordable bread could rapidly worsen hunger and force families into increasingly desperate coping mechanisms.

Regional impacts

The funding crisis is also affecting Syrian refugees in neighbouring countries, where many families remain dependent on humanitarian aid.

In Jordan, WFP has halted cash-based food assistance for 135,000 Syrian refugees living in host communities, while reduced support continues for around 85,000 refugees in camps.

Without urgent and sustained funding, we risk reversing years of progress and pushing millions deeper into food insecurity, both inside Syria and in neighbouring countries hosting refugees.

— Samer Abdeljaber

In Lebanon, refugee families continue struggling with rising costs and limited income opportunities. In Egypt, assistance for 20,000 Syrians has been reduced.

“Across the region, vulnerable families are facing the cumulative effects of prolonged crises, rising costs, and shrinking assistance,” said Samer Abdeljaber, WFP Regional Director for the Middle East, North Africa and Eastern Europe.

Funds to restore operations

WFP says it urgently requires $189 million over the next six months to sustain and restore critical operations inside Syria.

Timely funding would allow it to reach 1.6 million of the most vulnerable people, preserve nutrition programmes and help maintain access to affordable bread at a pivotal moment for the country’s fragile recovery.

“Without urgent and sustained funding, we risk reversing years of progress and pushing millions deeper into food insecurity, both inside Syria and in neighbouring countries hosting refugees, risking broader prospects for stability and recovery,” Mr. Abdeljaber warns.