The Cost of Inaction: Impacts of WFP Refugee Assistance Shortfalls on Food Security Outcomes in Uganda

Uganda hosts the largest refugee population in Africa, which quadrupled from 390,000 to 1.6 million from 2014 to 2024. Most of these refugees are women, children, and older persons fleeing conflict in South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Somalia, or Sudan. In 2023, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) provided food assistance to 1.4 million of these refugees. It gave a 60% food ration to those deemed to be highly vulnerable and a 30% ration to the moderately vulnerable, while moving the least vulnerable refugees off monthly food assistance and connecting them to long-term livelihood opportunities. All new arrivals received a 100% food ration for the first three months. Most WFP food assistance—61% in 2023—was in the form of Cash-Based Transfers (CBT). A soaring demand for humanitarian assistance is straining an already underfunded WFP, which faced a funding gap of $110 million to sustain emergency operations through 2023 (WFP 2023, WFP 2024).