The United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund has raised concerns that 1.3 million children under five suffering from severe acute malnutrition may lose access to treatment due to funding shortages, putting them at an increased risk of death.
UNICEF’s Deputy Executive Director, Kitty Palais, made this revelation during a briefing at the Palais des Nations in Geneva on Friday, highlighting the alarming decline in donor contributions to UN agencies.
Recent years have seen international donors reduce their financial support, a situation that worsened when the United States, UNICEF’s largest donor—suspended all foreign aid for 90 days on the first day of President Donald Trump’s second term in January.
This suspension, alongside other policy decisions that halted numerous USAID programs globally, has disrupted critical humanitarian relief operations.
Despite significant progress over the last 25 years in combating malnutrition, Palais warned that these achievements are now at risk.
“In 2024, UNICEF and our partners reached 441 million children under five with services to prevent all forms of malnutrition, while 9.3 million children received treatment for severe wasting and other forms of severe acute malnutrition. This progress was made possible through the efforts of governments and the generosity of donors – including those in government, the private sector, and philanthropic organizations – whose unwavering support was critical to the prevention and treatment of child malnutrition at a global scale,” she stated.
However, the funding crisis is now reversing those gains.
“Today, those hard-earned gains are being rolled back because humanitarian and nutrition partners face a different, deepening crisis – namely the sharp decline in funding support for our lifesaving work. But it is more than the quantity of the reductions … the problem is also how they have been made – in some cases, suddenly and without warning, leaving us with no time to mitigate their impact on our programmes for children.”
Palais recounted her recent visit to crisis-affected regions, where she witnessed the direct impact of the funding shortfall.
“Earlier this week, I saw the consequences of the funding crisis firsthand when I visited the Afar region in the north of Ethiopia and Maiduguri in northeast Nigeria. Due to funding gaps in both countries, nearly 1.3 million children under five suffering from severe acute malnutrition could lose access to treatment over the course of the year – leaving them at heightened risk of death.
“In Afar, a region that is prone to recurrent drought and floods, I visited a mobile health and nutrition team providing life-saving services to pastoralist communities in remote areas without health clinics. These teams are critical to supporting children with vital assistance, including treatment of severe wasting, vaccinations, and essential medicines,” she noted.
She further warned that UNICEF’s ability to provide Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF) for severely malnourished children is at risk, with dire consequences in Ethiopia and Nigeria.
“We estimate that without new sources of funding, UNICEF will run out of Ready-to-Use-Therapeutic-Food to treat children suffering from severe wasting in May – which could have dire consequences for the nearly an estimated 74,500 children in Ethiopia who require treatment each month.
“In Nigeria, where around 80,000 children per month require treatment, we could run out of RUTF supplies sometime between this month and the end of May. But the focus cannot just be on RUTF – or treating a child once they become severely malnourished. Programmes must deliver services to prevent children from becoming malnourished in the first place – this includes support for breastfeeding, access to micronutrient supplementation such as Vitamin A and ensuring they get the health services they need for other illnesses.”
Palais emphasized that the funding shortfall is not limited to Ethiopia and Nigeria but is a global crisis affecting vulnerable children everywhere.
“The funding crisis goes far beyond Ethiopia and Nigeria … this is happening around the world, and the most vulnerable children are bearing the brunt.”
With over 213 million children in 146 countries expected to require humanitarian assistance in 2025, she stressed the urgent need for continued support.
“While reviews of foreign assistance are ongoing in capitals around the world, I want to remind government leaders that delaying action doesn’t just harm children—it drives up the cost for us all. Investing in children’s survival and well-being is not only the right thing to do, it’s also the most economically sound choice any government can make.”
Despite the challenges, UNICEF remains committed to working with partners to sustain its life-saving programs and ensure accountability in its efforts to protect children worldwide.
