United Nations faces record humanitarian aid shortfall

The United Nations faces a record humanitarian aid shortfall amid soaring needs and the focus of wealthy countries' on Ukraine, as aid agencies are forced to cut programs over a lack of funding, The New York Times reported.

The newspaper said that donations from rich countries, including the United States, the EU countries, Japan and Canada, have increased this year, but at a much slower rate than the volume of funds needed, which has led to funding to ease humanitarian crises falling critically behind the volumes needed to meet basic needs.

"This is the biggest funding gap we've ever seen, mostly because the number of vulnerable people who need support is increasing fast," Martin Griffiths, chief of the UN's humanitarian and emergency relief office, said.

War in Ukraine, the situation in Afghanistan, the food crisis and consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic are listed among the reasons behind the shortfall.