Current:Home > NewsThe World Food Program will end its main assistance program in Syria in January, affecting millions-LoTradeCoin
The World Food Program will end its main assistance program in Syria in January, affecting millions
View Date:2024-12-23 20:13:42
BEIRUT (AP) — The U.N. World Food Program said Monday it will end in January its main assistance program across war-torn Syria, where over 12 million people lack regular access to sufficient food.
WFP in recent years has scaled down its support in Syria and neighboring countries that host millions of Syrians who fled the conflict, now in its 13th year. Humanitarian agencies have struggled to draw the world’s attention back to Syria as they face donor fatigue and shrinking budgets.
In July, WFP said it had to cut assistance to almost half of the 5.5 million Syrians it supported in the country due to budget constraints.
A month later, the agency slashed cash aid to Syrian refugees in Jordan. In November, it and the U.N. refugee agency said they will reduce the number of Syrian refugees in Lebanon receiving cash assistance by a third next year.
WFP in its latest statement said the cuts come as food insecurity is “worse than ever before” and that millions will be affected.
The agency’s most recent report in September said 3.2 million Syrians benefitted from its programs.
WFP said it will keep smaller aid programs, a school meals program and initiatives to rehabilitate Syria’s irrigation systems and bakeries.
Like other major humanitarian agencies, WFP after the start of Syria’s uprising-turned-civil war in 2011 scaled up support for Syrians in the country and for those who fled to Lebanon, Turkey, Jordan and Iraq.
They have blamed their shrinking budgets for Syria on global donor fatigue, the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine. Meanwhile, needs have surged in the besieged Gaza Strip during the Hamas-Israel war.
Though much of the fighting in Syria has subsided, the economic outlook is grim, whether in government-held territory, the northwestern enclave under al-Qaida-linked militants and Turkish-backed rebels, or the northeast under U.S.-backed Kurdish-led forces.
The UN estimates that 90% across Syria live in poverty. The value of the national currency has spiraled, while an illegal drug trade flourishes and unemployed Syrians try to leave for opportunities elsewhere.
veryGood! (86)
Related
- Tampa Bay Rays' Wander Franco arrested again in Dominican Republic, according to reports
- March Madness winners and losers: Pac-12 riding high after perfect first round
- Arizona expects to be back at the center of election attacks. Its top officials are going on offense
- The Capital One commercials with Charles Barkley, Samuel L. Jackson and Spike Lee ranked
- Mariah Carey's Amazon Holiday Merch Is All I Want for Christmas—and It's Selling Out Fast!
- March Madness expert predictions: Our picks for today's men's Round 2 games
- Mountain lion kills 1, injures another in California
- Gonzaga's Mark Few continues March Madness success with ninth Sweet 16 appearance in row
- Olivia Munn Says She “Barely Knew” John Mulaney When She Got Pregnant With Their Son
- Climate change helping drive an increase in large wildfires in the US
Ranking
- The Army’s answer to a lack of recruits is a prep course to boost low scores. It’s working
- Scottsdale police shoot, kill armed suspect in stolen vehicle who opened fire during traffic stop
- Laurent de Brunhoff, ‘Babar’ heir and author, dies at age 98
- Women's March Madness winners, losers: Paige Bueckers, welcome back; Ivy nerds too slow
- NY forest ranger dies fighting fires as air quality warnings are issued in New York and New Jersey
- Erin Andrews Details Lowest Moments From Crappy 10-Year Fertility Journey
- Wyoming governor vetoes abortion restrictions, signs transgender medical care ban for minors
- LSU coach Kim Mulkey lashes out at Washington Post, threatens legal action
Recommendation
-
Missing Ole Miss student declared legally dead as trial for man accused in his death looms
-
Ditch Bad Hair Days for Salon-Worthy Locks With Amazon Deals Starting at $4: T3, Joico, Olapex & More
-
Lewis Morgan hat trick fuels New York Red Bulls to 4-0 win over Inter Miami without Messi
-
Sunday NIT schedule: No. 1 seeds Indiana State, Wake Forest headline 5-game slate
-
Disney x Lululemon Limited-Edition Collection: Shop Before It Sells Out
-
Arizona expects to be back at the center of election attacks. Its top officials are going on offense
-
Wyoming governor vetoes abortion restrictions, signs transgender medical care ban for minors
-
Swiping on dating apps has turned into a career for some. Here's how they turned love into a job.