UNICEF, WFP, and Save the Children face funding challenges

The world’s poor, war-affected and refugees face a difficult future as governments cut back on assistance to aid agencies

In recent years, many global organisations have faced increasing challenges in achieving their fundraising goals due to economic uncertainty, global crises, and changes in donor priorities, which have affected the flow of funds. Key organizations such as UNICEF (United Nations Children's Fund), UN World Food Programme (WFP), and Save the Children have all had to confront funding shortages, despite the ongoing urgency of their services.The struggle to raise funds for global humanitarian causes is not just a financial issue, but a matter of life and death for millions of people. According to data from Global Humanitarian Assistance, in 2024, there was a request for $29.3 billion in humanitarian aid, but only 61% of the target amount was successfully raised.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) reports that more than 100 million people worldwide have been displaced due to conflict, climate-related disasters, and other crises in 2024. Meanwhile, over 15 million children die each year from preventable causes, many of whom are in areas where UNICEF and Save the Children operate most extensively.UNICEF’s fundraising struggle

UNICEF's goal for 2025 is approximately $7 billion to support projects focusing on children's health, education, nutrition, and emergency assistance. However, UNICEF reported that in 2024, there was a funding shortfall of $1.4 billion, which could impact its ability to respond to crises such as the displacement of refugees in Syria, Ukraine, and some regions of Africa.

“Cuts by numerous donor countries follow two years of aid reductions at a time of unprecedented need. Millions of children are affected by conflict, need to be vaccinated against deadly diseases such as measles and polio, and must be educated and kept healthy,” UNICEF executive director Catherine Russell said.

“UNICEF implores all donors to continue to fund critical aid programmes for the world’s children. We cannot fail them now.”


WFP: Fighting hunger on limited funds

In 2025, WFP aims to raise $18 billion to support emergency food assistance programmes. However, the organisation faced a funding shortfall in 2024 of $2.6 billion, leaving millions of people at risk of food insecurity.

WFP reported that in 2024, 346 million people worldwide faced hunger, a figure that has doubled in the past five years. WFP last year reached over 128 million people with food assistance, but only 50% of the necessary funding was available to carry out these efforts.

Last week, WFP announced that due to cuts in funding from the US and other donors, it would have to reduce rations by half to the more than 1 million Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh effective April 1.

The majority of WFP's funding comes from donations by supporting governments, but these donations are not keeping pace with the increasing demand driven by various crises, including political instability in some countries receiving aid.


Save the Children: Over 90% of funding comes from governments

Save the Children, an organisation focused on child protection, education, and health, continues to face challenges in meeting its fundraising targets for 2025 due to budget cuts that have impacted critical programmes worldwide.

Save the Children aims to raise $3.2 billion in 2025, but this target seems difficult to achieve. In 2024, the organisation reported a funding shortfall of $700 million, which has hindered its ability to fully implement aid programmes in regions like Yemen, Syria, and Ethiopia.

Save the Children has found that donors are increasingly prioritising other issues, such as climate change, rather than supporting aid for children in areas affected by war. As a result, some of Save the Children’s programmes are experiencing funding shortages, even though there is an urgent need for their services.

Over 90% of Save the Children’s funding comes from government aid. However, government donations have become increasingly uncertain in recent years, making it more difficult to plan and execute long-term projects.

The recent decision by the Trump administration to cut most funding to the US Agency for International Development (USAID) will only exacerbate these already disastrous shortfalls.

(2025/03/11-00:00)