The West’s non-fulfillment of its pledges forces WFP to cut its aid in Syria

DAMASCUS, Jun.20, (ST)- Western donor countries’ continued non-fulfillment of their pledges to provide aid to the Syrians affected by the terrorist war and the earthquake has forced the United Nations World Food Program to reduce the aid it provided to about 5.5 million people by about half, as a result of the lack of funding that threatens to run out of food aid by next October.

The announcement of the World Food Program (WFP) coincided with the conference held by the EU at its headquarters in Brussels on Syria without its presence so that the truth of EU goals and policies would  ot be revealed.

The politicization of humanitarian work increases the suffering of the Syrian people, as a result of its continued support for terrorist groups and its continued imposition of illegal coercive economic measures on Syria.

The United Nations World Food Program issued a statement on Wednesday, warning of an unprecedented financial crisis that will result in a reduction of aid to 2.5 million people in Syria starting in July. The program emphasized that 5.5 million Syrians rely on their assistance to meet their basic food needs, and nearly half of them will lose this vital support due to the organization’s current financial challenges.

In light of this situation, the World Food Program has made the difficult decision to prioritize aid for 3 million Syrians who are unable to sustain themselves without weekly food assistance. Consequently, they will be unable to continue providing assistance to the remaining 5.5 million people, leading to a complete depletion of food assistance by October.

Ken Crossley, the WFP Representative and Country Director in Syria, expressed his concerns, stating: “Further reductions in ration size are impossible; our only solution is to reduce the number of recipients.”

“The people we serve have endured the ravages of conflict, fleeing their homes, losing family members and their livelihoods. Without our assistance, their hardships will only intensify.”

“Instead of scaling up or even keeping pace with increasing needs, we’re facing the bleak scenario of taking assistance away from people, right when they need it the most,” Crossley said.

Basma Qaddour