The UN World Food Programme (WFP) has been forced to halve emergency food assistance in Syria due to severe funding shortages, cutting support for hundreds of thousands of vulnerable people across the country, according to a press release issued on 13 May 2026. Millions of Syrians now face a growing risk of hunger as families skip meals, reduce portion sizes, and rely on less nutritious food. Children are particularly vulnerable, with prolonged food deprivation sharply increasing the risk of malnutrition. UN officials warn the cuts come at a dangerous moment for households already struggling to survive. The reductions threaten food security, social cohesion, and stability across Syria.
Last year, WFP reached 5.8 million people across all 14 governorates through emergency food assistance, nutrition support, livelihoods programmes, and social protection initiatives. Ongoing funding shortages are now forcing operations to shrink from 14 governorates to just seven. More than seven million people are acutely food insecure across Syria, including 1.6 million facing emergency conditions, according to agency estimates. The scale-back affects one of the country’s most fragile humanitarian environments. Operational reach is being significantly curtailed despite undiminished needs.
WFP has also halted its nationwide bread subsidy programme, one of the country’s last remaining large-scale safety nets that previously helped millions of Syrians afford daily bread. The initiative supported more than 300 bakeries, providing them with fortified wheat and helping subsidized bread reach up to four million people every day in some of Syria’s most fragile areas. Aid officials warn that the loss of affordable bread could rapidly worsen hunger. Families may be pushed into increasingly desperate coping mechanisms. The programme’s suspension removes a critical daily lifeline.
The funding crisis is also affecting Syrian refugees in neighbouring countries. In Jordan, WFP has halted cash-based food assistance for 135,000 Syrian refugees living in host communities, while reduced support continues for around 85,000 refugees in camps. In Egypt, assistance for 20,000 Syrians has been reduced, while families in Lebanon continue struggling with rising costs and limited income opportunities.
“The reduction in WFP’s assistance is driven solely by funding constraints, not by a decrease in needs,” said Marianne Ward, WFP Country Director in Syria.
Vulnerable families face the cumulative effects of prolonged crises and shrinking assistance.
WFP says it urgently requires $189 million over the next six months to sustain and restore critical operations inside Syria. Timely funding would allow it to reach 1.6 million of the most vulnerable people, preserve nutrition programmes, and help maintain access to affordable bread.
“Without urgent and sustained funding, we risk reversing years of progress and pushing millions deeper into food insecurity, both inside Syria and in neighbouring countries hosting refugees, risking broader prospects for stability and recovery,” warned Samer Abdeljaber, WFP Regional Director for the Middle East, North Africa and Eastern Europe.
The agency calls the moment pivotal for Syria’s fragile recovery. Sustained support remains essential to prevent further deterioration.
