The United Nations has announced that it is drastically cutting its global humanitarian aid plans due to “the largest funding cuts in history.”

The UN humanitarian agency said it was seeking $29 billion in funding, compared with $44 billion requested in December, in a “super-priority” appeal, AFP reported.

Under President Donald Trump, who took office in January, the US, the world's largest donor, has drastically cut foreign aid, causing chaos in the humanitarian aid sector worldwide.

Other donor countries have also reduced their contributions in view of the uncertain economic outlook.

“The brutal cuts in funding are forcing us to make brutal choices,” said Tom Fletcher, head of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

“All we are asking for is 1% of what you decided to spend last year on war. But this is not just a call for money – it is a call for global responsibility, for human solidarity, for a commitment to end suffering,” he added.

With the middle of 2025 approaching, the UN has received only $5.6 billion of the $44 billion, or just 13%, it has requested, while facing growing crises in Sudan, Gaza, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Myanmar, among others.

“We have been forced to triage human survival,” Fletcher emphasized.

“The math is brutal, and the consequences are heartbreaking. Too many people will not receive the support they need, but we will save as many lives as possible with the resources we have,” he added.

Under the new guidelines, OCHA assistance will be directed to “reach the people and places with the most urgent needs,” and support will be directed "towards existing planning for 2025. ... This will ensure that limited resources are directed where they can be most useful – as quickly as possible," Fletcher concluded. | BGNES