UN halves emergency food assistance in Syria
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – The United Nations announced on Wednesday that it will reduce emergency food assistance allocated for Syria by 50 percent and suspend its bread support program due to a severe funding shortage, despite continued humanitarian needs across the country.
The Rome-based World Food Programme (WFP) said in a statement that the number of beneficiaries receiving emergency food assistance in Syria will decrease from 1.3 million people to 650,000.
The agency noted that although Syria has witnessed relative stability following years of conflict, around 7.2 million people across the country continue to face acute food insecurity.
The WFP also stated that it had been supporting more than 300 bakeries throughout Syria by supplying subsidized wheat flour as part of its humanitarian operations, helping millions of Syrians access bread at affordable prices.
Marianne Ward, the WFP Country Director in Syria, said that the reduction in assistance “is solely due to a lack of funding, not because needs have decreased.”
“This is a critical moment for Syria,” Ward added. “Recovery remains fragile, needs are immense, and we are being forced to withdraw a vital safety net.”
International organizations have repeatedly warned that deteriorating economic conditions, displacement, and declining humanitarian funding continue to place additional pressure on civilians in Syria, particularly vulnerable families dependent on aid programs.