International donor funding to alleviate hunger in the world's neediest countries plummeted in 2023, despite exacerbating global food insecurity reaching record highs, aid agencies warn. Humanitarian appeals for the 17 countries bearing the brunt of food insecurity suffered a staggering funding gap of 65 percent last year, up 23 percent from 2022, according to an analysis released this week by the humanitarian organization Action Against Hunger.
The new analysis of funding through the UN humanitarian system reveals that only 35 percent of appeals from countries dealing with crisis levels of hunger were satisfied in 2023. No appeals for either ongoing or emergency hunger-related programs were wholly met, while only 12 percent of hunger-related programs received more than half of the financial resources required.
Action Against Hunger said it would take US$8.86 billion to fully fund the hunger-related appeals of the 17 countries included in this report, which is roughly half of what the American public is estimated to have bet on the last Super Bowl.
For the report, the aid agency identified 17 countries that experienced “crisis” levels of hunger or worse in 2022 and analyzed how much funding those countries subsequently received in 2023. The countries are in alphabetical order: Afghanistan, Burundi, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Kenya, Lebanon, Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, Pakistan, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, and Yemen.
“The report comes at a pivotal time, since there was a notable increase in funding for hunger related-programs in 2023, yet even with that surge of support, funding didn’t keep pace with growing needs,” said Michelle Brown, Associate Director of Advocacy for Action Against Hunger.
“Now, we are already being warned that some of the world’s most generous donor countries expect to slash aid budgets in 2024. There is no way to sugarcoat the impact: more people will suffer and millions could die as a result,” she said.
“Those with the means to do so must prioritize funding for hunger programs, and additional countries must step up to prevent looming humanitarian disasters.”
The United States continues to be the world’s leading humanitarian donor, followed by Germany and the European Commission. China, the world's second-largest economy, paid just US$4.7 million in 2023, while the US contributed more than US$11.5 billion to humanitarian emergencies.
Globally, as many as 783 million people - more than the population of the European Union and the United States combined - suffer from hunger. Compared to pre-pandemic levels, today, 122 million more people face hunger, which is primarily driven by conflict, climate change, and chronic inequality.
“The world produces enough food for everyone, yet hundreds of thousands of malnourished children die preventable deaths each year. Why? We lack the resolve and funding needed to deliver on the UN Sustainable Development Goal of zero hunger by 2030,” said Charles Owubah, CEO of Action Against Hunger USA.
“Hunger is an everyday challenge for one in ten people around the world, and it must be a daily concern for those who are in a position to help end hunger for everyone, for good”, he said.
About 9 million people succumb to hunger every year, according to the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP). In 2023, the WFP was forced to drastically cut food aid in several hunger hotspots, including Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Democratic Republic of Congo, Haiti, Jordan, Nigeria, Occupied Palestinian Territory, South Sudan, Somalia, Syria and Yemen, due to the crippling funding gap. Massive reductions were implemented in almost half of WFP operations.
Aid agencies like Action Against Hunger maintain that the world produces enough food to feed everyone. They reiterate that wealthy nations possess the financial resources necessary to address the looming hunger funding gap.
"The world has enough dollars, euros, renminbi, riyals, rupees, yen, and funds in other currencies to fully close the hunger funding gap," the aid organization said.
The report reflects Action Against Hunger’s analysis of the UN Financial Tracking Service (FTS) as well as the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) Population Tracking Tool.
Further information
Full text: 2024 Hunger Funding Gap Report, Action Against Hunger, report, released January 16, 2024
https://www.actionagainsthunger.org/app/uploads/2024/01/Action-Against-Hunger-2024-Hunger-Funding-Gap-Report.pdf
Website: Financial Tracking Service (FTS): The United Nations is tracking humanitarian donor contributions channeled by governments through UN agencies, UN funds, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement.
https://fts.unocha.org/