At least 14 million children worldwide are at risk of losing access to critical nutrition support and services this year due to drastic funding cuts, leaving them vulnerable to severe malnutrition and life-threatening conditions, according to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell raised alarm on Wednesday, warning that decades of progress in combating child starvation could be undone.
“Since 2000, we have reduced the number of stunted children under five by 55 million, and millions of severely malnourished children have been saved. But these steep funding cuts threaten to reverse these achievements and put millions of lives at risk,” she stated.
Severe Impact on Child Malnutrition Programs
UNICEF estimates that:
- Over 2.4 million children suffering from severe acute malnutrition could be left without ready-to-use therapeutic food (RUTF) this year.
- Up to 2,300 centers providing life-saving care for severely malnourished children with medical complicationsmay be forced to shut down or scale back services.
- Nearly 28,000 UNICEF-supported outpatient therapeutic centers are also at risk.
US Aid Cuts Deepen the Crisis
The funding crisis has been worsened by the United States’ sharp reduction in foreign aid. Since President Donald Trump’s return to office, the US—the largest donor to UN agencies, including UNICEF—has slashed multi-year aid budgets and paused existing foreign aid contracts, according to the US Department of State.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres warned that these cuts will have devastating consequences for vulnerable populations worldwide.
Call for Immediate Action
Russell urged governments and donors to prioritize funding for child nutrition programs and support UNICEF’s Child Nutrition Fund, launched in 2023 to tackle child and maternal malnutrition in the long term.
“Good nutrition is the foundation of child survival and development, and the returns on investment are immense,”she emphasized.
With millions of lives hanging in the balance, UNICEF continues to appeal for urgent funding to sustain its global nutrition programs and prevent a humanitarian disaster.
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