UN World Food Programme scales back projects to feed the hungry
Agency looking to booming economies such as China to give more as it faces US$1 billion funding shortfall amid mounting mission costs
The UN's World Food Programme (WFP) is scaling back projects in a number of countries as it confronts a US$1 billion funding shortfall, with costs mounting for missions such as Syria, its director said yesterday.
"We have about US$1 billion more in identified need in 2014 than we have projected revenues," she said.
Cousin said rations were being slashed across programmes in nations including Haiti, Niger, Mali and Kenya, where funding in the sprawling Dadaab refugee camp was cut 10 per cent in December and another 10 per cent last month "because we lack enough money to feed everybody a full meal".
Costs are mounting for complex and dangerous operations in Syria, where the WFP is aiming to reach 4.25 million hungry people at a cost of US$40 million a week.
A December mission involving 12 food flights from Iraq to Qamishli in the embattled al-Hasakah region of Syria - cut off by road for a year - cost US$800,000 and fed only 6,000, Cousin said.
"Donors target their funds and when donors target their funds it means that [to fund] Syria, those same donors - it's the same pie, so they cut their funds in other places," she said.