The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs has announced that it has been forced to cancel planned aid for millions of people due to severe funding shortfalls, describing the move as “brutal.”

Never before has funding for humanitarian relief declined so sharply, the agency said on Monday.

“We have been forced into a triage of human survival,” said under-secretary-general for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief coordinator Tom Fletcher in a statement. “The math is cruel, and the consequences are heartbreaking. Too many people will not get the support they need, but we will save as many lives as we can with the resources we are given.”

Not only has the United States drastically slashed foreign aid and severed ties with several UN bodies, but a number of other countries have also made deep cuts to their international assistance budgets.

In December, OCHA had hoped to raise 44 billion dollars for global humanitarian efforts in 2024.

That target has now been revised down to $29 billion, and even that amount is far from certain. As of June, only $5.6 billion had been received.

OCHA warned that the revised plan would allow aid to reach just 114 million people, down from the original goal of 180 million, and only if the reduced funding target is met.

The agency did not specify which donor countries had cut their budgets but stressed that wherever possible, the most vulnerable people across all countries with OCHA operations would continue to receive assistance.

“Brutal funding cuts leave us with brutal choices,” Mr Fletcher said.

“All we ask is one per cent of what you chose to spend last year on war. But this isn’t just an appeal for money. It’s a call for global responsibility, for human solidarity, for a commitment to end the suffering.”

(dpa/NAN)