Severe funding lacks sees UN food programme cut Syria aid by 50%

The World Food Programme says it has been forced to slash its operations in Syria by half due to a “critical funding shortfall,” despite the country’s continuing humanitarian needs.

The UN agency announced on May 13 that it had cut emergency food assistance to the country, as Caliber.Az reports, reducing the number of people reached from 1.3 million to 650,000 in May.

It has also halted a nationwide bread subsidy programme that had been helping millions of people every day.

The WFP said it urgently needs $189 million over the next six months to maintain and restore life-saving assistance across Syria.

“The reduction in WFP’s assistance is driven solely by funding constraints, not by a decrease in needs,” said Marianne Ward, Syria director for the UN agency. “This is a critical moment for Syria – recovery remains fragile, needs are still severe and we are being forced to withdraw a vital safety net at a time when people need it most."

According to UN figures, 7.2 million people in Syria are facing acute food insecurity 15 years after the outbreak of the civil war, including 1.6 million enduring severe conditions.

The WFP warned that suspending its bread subsidy programme — described as a “vital lifeline” — risks accelerating hunger and undermining a crucial chance to support recovery and stability in Syria. The government-led initiative was launched in June 2025 to provide affordable bread in the country’s most food-insecure areas.

Earlier this year, the programme supported more than 300 bakeries across Syria and helped feed over four million people a day, the agency said. It added that funding shortages are also affecting Syrian refugees in neighbouring countries, including Lebanon, Jordan and Egypt.

By Nazrin Sadigova