In the midst of a stagnating economy, political turmoil, gang violence, and natural disasters, decreased funding of the UN World Food Program (WFP) puts a 100,00 Haitians at the risk of starvation. According to the Voice of America, Haiti has the second highest per capita food insecurity in the world, with an estimated 4.9 million residents in need of assistance. While the WFP aims to provide meals to 2.3 million Haitians this year, it estimated that the agency will fall short of this goal by at least 750,000 people. With the WFP’s Haitian response plan only 16 percent funded, the agency would have to raise an additional 121 million USD to meet their goals. 

Haiti’s acute food insecurity and lack of development is derived from historical injustice, which included colonial rule, civil war, debt burdens, coups, occupation, segregation, dictatorial rule, and natural disasters. Spanish settlers arrived in Haiti in 1492, bringing an array of European diseases that decimated its indigenous populations. Being under Spanish and French colonial rule until 1791, imported Africans slaves were forced to harvest sugar, coffee, and timber. In 1791, Toussaint L’Ouverture led the world’s first successful slave rebellion, which made Haiti an independent state by the end of the war. Despite independence, harsh sanctions imposed by European powers and an inability to reform its plantation based economy hindered any development on the island. Furthermore, in exchange for recognition, France demanded reparations caused by the rebellion, which totalled 22 billion USD adjusted to inflation. Even when contributing 80 percent of their revenues towards their debt, it took Haiti 120 years to pay the reparations. 

The last century saw minimal development as well, caused by a 19 year long U.S occupation, 3 decades of dictatorial rule, political instability, natural disasters, and foreign meddling. The most recent string of disasters followed the assassination of Jovel Moise in 2021, which has since contributed to increased political instability, a stagnating economy, and gang violence. According to the New Humanitarian, nearly half of all consumed food is imported into Haiti. Port-au-Prince, already dealing with a multitude of crises, is not equipped to deal with rising inflation and supply chain issues. Because Haiti is heavily reliant on imports and humanitarian aid, the WFP’s distribution cuts to the country will greatly exacerbate hunger and could even lead to famine.

The WFP’s funding is reliant on voluntary donations from governments, corporations, and individuals worldwide. But due to increasing challenges facing developed countries, such as energy crises, high debt burdens, inflation, and the Ukraine war, donations sent to the agency were severely reduced in 2023. According to Devex, the WFP requires a budget of 23 billion to feed 150 million people worldwide, which is its stated goal for 2023. However, the WFP is on track to collect less than half of this figure, meaning the agency will cut food distributions to millions. The USA is by far the biggest contributor to the WFP, providing 7.3 billion USD to the program in 2022. But due to shifting priorities, the agency expects to receive only 2.5 billion USD this year. Furthermore, inflation will reduce the WFP’s capacity to distribute supplies as food and fuel prices rise. 

Unless urgent action is taken, Haiti will face severe food insecurity in 2023. There are various paths for reducing hunger in Haiti and the world at large. First, developed countries must raise more funding for agencies combating hunger. Because the WFP is reliant on donations, it is in the public’s hands to demand their government to contribute more to these organizations. The United States and France should contribute relatively more to Haiti due to their involvement in the country’s historical injustice. Second, conflict around the world must be reduced. According to the WFP, 8/10 of the major food crises are driven by conflict. For example, the Ukraine war has increased food and fuel prices because of disturbances in grain and energy shipments, which has exacerbated existing crises in developing countries. According to Euronews, food prices increased by 14 percent in 2022, mostly driven by the war in Ukraine. Furthermore, by reducing conflicts that deplete resources, there will be more humanitarian aid available to give to Haiti. The United States has sent over 75 billion USD to Ukraine, money which could be used to fight world hunger. In general, conflict resolution and negotiated settlements, whether in Myanmar, Sudan, Ukraine, or Yemen, improve the ability of agencies and countries to fight world hunger. Lastly, developed states must invest in infrastructure projects so the country becomes more self sustainable. Port-au-Prince’s heavy reliance on imports makes it vulnerable in times of geopolitical tensions and volatile markets.