World Food Program faces further aid reduction in Syria amid funding crisis

ROME — In the wake of a funding crisis and dwindling resources, the World Food Program (WFP) announced plans to once again reduce its aid efforts in Syria, a few months after a prior reduction. The organization highlighted that its operations are at risk of interruption due to the sustained decrease in funding.

In a recent report, the WFP stated that it anticipates a reduction in aid in Syria early next year, with potential disruptions to supplies from the beginning of 2024. The decrease in funding and extended time limits for imports into Syria are cited as the primary reasons for the anticipated operational challenges.

According to the report, the WFP requires $134 million over the next six months to sustain the current diminished level of monthly food aid to over 3 million vulnerable beneficiaries across Syria. The report emphasized the urgent need for $4 million to ensure the continuation and uninterrupted provision of school aid in the first quarter of the coming year.

This announcement follows a similar reduction in aid for Syrian refugees in Jordan, and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Lebanon has also signaled its intention to reduce assistance to Syrian families in need.