The World Food Program (WFP) on Monday suspended food aid to more than 1.7 million Syrian refugees in neighboring countries, blaming a financing crisis caused by unhonored cash pledges.
The Rome-based U.N. agency said refugees in Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey, Iraq and Egypt risked going hungry this winter if donors do not urgently provide the $64 million (51 million euros) needed to finance the distribution of food vouchers through December.
"This couldn't come at a worse time," U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres said in a statement. "I urgently appeal to the international community –- support WFP now, don't let refugees go hungry."
While WFP didn't name which countries haven't made good on their commitments, foreign ministers from Germany, Finland and Sweden told reporters in Copenhagen their countries could do more to fill the funding gap.