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The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has raised alarm over a worsening funding crisis that could leave 1.3 million children under five suffering from severe acute malnutrition without access to life-saving treatment this year.
UNICEF’s Deputy Executive Director, Kitty van der Heijden, made the statement on Friday at the Palais des Nations in Geneva, highlighting the dire situation in Ethiopia, Nigeria, and other vulnerable regions.
International donor contributions to UN agencies, including UNICEF, have significantly declined in recent years. The crisis deepened in January when the United States, UNICEF’s largest donor, imposed a 90-day suspension on all foreign aid following President Donald Trump’s return to office.
The suspension and subsequent funding cuts from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) have severely disrupted global humanitarian relief efforts, putting essential food and medical aid at risk.
Despite substantial progress in combating child malnutrition over the past 25 years reducing the number of stunted children by 55 million since 2000 these gains are now under threat.
“In 2024, UNICEF and our partners reached 441 million children with malnutrition prevention services, while 9.3 million received treatment for severe wasting and acute malnutrition,” Heijden stated. “This was made possible by the support of governments, private donors, and philanthropic organizations. But today, those hard-earned gains are being rolled back due to a sharp decline in funding for our lifesaving work.”
Heijden, who recently visited Ethiopia’s Afar region and Maiduguri in northeast Nigeria, witnessed firsthand the devastating impact of funding gaps. In these areas, nearly 1.3 million children under five are at risk of losing access to critical malnutrition treatment.
“In Afar, a region prone to drought and floods, I saw mobile health and nutrition teams providing life-saving services to remote communities,” she noted. “But only seven of UNICEF’s 30 mobile health units in the region remain operational due to funding shortages.”
The consequences could be catastrophic. Without additional funding, UNICEF expects to run out of Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF) by May, leaving nearly 74,500 malnourished children in Ethiopia and 80,000 in Nigeria without treatment each month.
Beyond Ethiopia and Nigeria, the funding crisis is affecting vulnerable children worldwide. UNICEF estimates that 213 million children across 146 countries will require humanitarian aid in 2025. The organization warns that without urgent action, millions of children could face severe malnutrition, disease, and even death.
Despite the challenges, UNICEF remains committed to delivering critical support and working with partners to ensure that the most vulnerable children receive the care they need.
