This development comes at a time when WFP faces huge funding gaps; has received less than half of the $13 billion it needs to reach 110 million of the world’s most vulnerable people.
This means millions of people could be deprived of life-saving assistance, threatening lives and the stability of regions, the agency warned.
“WFP has demonstrated time and time again that early, strategic and innovative solutions can stop famine, stabilize communities, discourage migration and allow families to recover,” Ms. McCain insisted.
His comments come against a backdrop of growing hunger crises now affecting 318 million people worldwide. Furthermore, “hundreds of thousands” are already suffering “famine-like” conditions, the WFP says.
Kenya plan shows bold vision for refugee self-reliance
Barham Salih made his first official visit as the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, leading UNHCR, and called in the Kenyan capital for greater global support to develop the solutions refugees need to rebuild their lives.
More than 800,000 refugees and asylum seekers live in this East African nation. Some 300,000 refugees, mostly from South Sudan, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, have found safety in the Kakuma region for many years, a place of “transformation and innovation”, the UNHCR chief said.
He warned that the consequences of a growing lack of humanitarian funding were “serious” in Kakuma.
“Despite resource scarcity, Kenya continues to show remarkable solidarity with people in need, through smart policies that encourage self-reliance and economic growth,” Mr Salih said.
Lack of financing
Last year, less than a quarter of UNHCR’s budget for Kenya was funded, severely restricting access to healthcare, water, education and protection services for both refugees and host communities.
In light of this, Kenya’s Shirika Plan seeks to transition from humanitarian aid to refugee self-reliance and harmony with host communities by providing refugees with legal identifications, financial services, education and healthcare.
“These inclusive policies hold great promise for transforming the future of both refugees and the communities that host them.” M Salih said.
Ukraine: 2025 was the deadliest year for civilians since large-scale conflict broke out
More than 2,500 civilians were killed in Ukraine in 2025 and nearly 12,250 were injured, a 31 percent increase compared to 2024, according to UN human rights monitors.
The figures refer to those verified, and the real total is likely to be considerably higher.
In December alone, more than 150 people were killed and 888 injured. During that month, long-range attacks by Russian forces using missiles and drones caused 33 percent of all civilian casualties (34 dead and 308 wounded), affecting cities and towns far from the front line.
About 67 percent of civilian casualties occurred near the front line (122 dead and 571 wounded).
Attacks on energy infrastructure
Since the conflict began in 2014, almost 18,500 civilians have been killed.
According to the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission (UNHRMM), the number of civilian casualties is likely to be significantly underestimated in cities such as Mariupol (Donetsk region), Lysychansk, Popasna and Sievierodonetsk (Luhansk region), where there was heavy, prolonged fighting at the start of the large-scale Russian invasion that began in February 2022.
In addition to civilian casualties, the Russian Federation also carried out large-scale attacks in specific regions against Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.
In December, the Odessa region was among the worst affected areas and suffered repeated strikes that caused prolonged blackouts in several cities.