In 2023, multiple threats collided and drove up hunger, from conflict and extreme climate conditions to economic shocks. By the end of the year, 78 million in Asia and the Pacific faced acute levels of food insecurity. This was more than double pre-pandemic levels, revealing just how many had failed to break free from the shackles of hunger and poverty since the onset of COVID-19. These threats came amid drastic drops in funding. In 2023, donor contributions fell far below those from 2022 – by US$1.2 billion. Alongside, other humanitarian and development actors, WFP faced the impossible choice of having to scale back and prioritize its assistance among the most vulnerable people, despite mounting crises.
But WFP continued to nourish hope, even amid hardship. We received only a third of the funding we required in 2023 – which was less than half of what we received in 2022. Despite this sharp drop in funding, we persevered to reach 31.6 million people with food and cash assistance. We also invested in sustainable solutions to create lasting impact as governments continued to turn to us as their partner of choice in improving food security and nutrition.
