GENEVA - Programs to help prevent malnourishment in children in Yemen, Afghanistan and Syria could be suspended within months if urgent funding is not found, the UN's World Food Programme warned on Wednesday.

"If we fail to act, we are condemning millions of children to a lifetime of suffering", said WFP Executive Director Cindy McCain in a statement ahead of a summit in Paris on Wednesday where governments and charities will discuss tackling growing global malnutrition and hunger.

The WFP has suffered severe financial setbacks after the US, its single largest donor, announced a 90-day pause on foreign aid assistance while it determines if programs are aligned with the Trump administration's "America first" policy.

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The US provided $4.5 billion of the $9.8 billion budget last year for the WFP, which gives food and cash assistance to people suffering from hunger due to crop shortages, conflict and climate change worldwide.

The organization called on Wednesday for $1.4 billion to deliver malnutrition prevention and treatment programs for 30 million mothers and children in 56 countries in 2025, saying malnutrition is worsening worldwide due to war, economic instability and climate change.

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Prevention programs in Yemen, where one-third of children under the age of 5 are malnourished, could stop from May if additional funding was not received, the WFP said. The UN children's agency UNICEF said on Tuesday that western coastal areas of Yemen are on the verge of a catastrophe due to malnutrition.

McCain said that the WFP is being forced to make tough choices such as prioritizing treatment over prevention due to lack of funds. Programs in Afghanistan could also be stopped by May, while in Syria and the Democratic Republic of Congo programs could be reduced from June unless money is found.