UN Rights Chief Warns of Funding Crisis as Starvation Deaths Surge in Gaza
The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, warned that his office is in "survival mode" due to a funding crisis, as a report surfaced detailing a dramatic increase in starvation deaths in Gaza. Turk appealed for $400 million to cover the agency's funding needs for the year, stating that budget cuts in the previous year had already reduced operations in 17 countries, including Colombia, Myanmar, and Chad, according to Al Jazeera.
The funding shortfall comes as a report by Al Jazeera revealed a stark rise in starvation-related deaths in Gaza. In 2025, the number of deaths attributed to starvation reached 422, a 760 percent increase in just 12 months, according to the report. In the first three months of the war in 2023, only four deaths were officially attributed to starvation by health officials in Gaza. By 2024, that number rose to 49. UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food Michael Fakhri has warned that Israel is using food as a weapon of war in Gaza.
The UN's funding crisis has led to reduced operations in numerous countries, potentially hindering efforts to address human rights concerns globally. "These cuts and reductions untie perpetrators hands everywhere," Volker Turk warned, according to Al Jazeera.
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