Benjamin Nguyen is the new elected president of Action Against Hunger France

Drastic budget cuts 

Over the past two years, American and European budget cuts have dealt a severe blow to international solidarity. The humanitarian aid financing system is facing an unprecedented upheaval. 

This decline in funding is having immediate, severe, and deeply concerning consequences for families and children affected by hunger, as well as for Action Against Hunger’s operations worldwide. 

According to a study published in The Lancet in July 2025, the U.S. budget cuts alone could result in up to 14 million additional deaths by 2030, including 4.5 million children under the age of five, mainly due to deteriorating access to nutrition, healthcare, and social protection in the world’s most vulnerable countries. 

In 2025, Action Against Hunger was forced to stop more than 50 projects across 20 countries, affecting hundreds of thousands of people and children. 

Between 2025 and 2026, Action Against Hunger also had to terminate nearly 1,300 field positions (both national and international staff). 

“At a time when the humanitarian sector is going through a profound crisis, with institutional funding collapsing over the long term and humanitarian needs skyrocketing, giving up is not an option. My determination is unwavering: to defend humanitarian principles, amplify the voices of those we support, and mobilize decision-makers so that the fight against hunger once again becomes a political priority,” said Benjamin Nguyen. 

Facing growing needs 

Nearly 673 million people still suffer from hunger today. 
This is unacceptable. 

Amid protracted crises, climate disruption, growing socio-economic inequalities, and conflicts, malnutrition remains one of the world’s greatest challenges. It is responsible for nearly one in every two deaths among children under five. Today, only 20% of children suffering from acute malnutrition have access to appropriate treatment, leaving millions without care. 

Between 2023 and 2026, more than 8 million additional people fell into food insecurity despite repeated warnings from the humanitarian community. Women and girls are the first to be affected by hunger, reflecting persistent structural inequalities. 

“Climate change will have a lasting impact on global food production and poses a very real risk of preventing billions of people from having enough to eat. We cannot allow those who have contributed the least to climate change to bear its heaviest consequences,” added Benjamin Nguyen. 

A necessary, urgent, and constrained adaptation across the sector 

“The experience I gained coordinating projects and later leading organizations in complex and rapidly changing environments has deepened my understanding of humanitarian issues and challenges. It has reinforced my conviction that NGOs must continuously evolve and reinvent their organizational models in order to respond to increasingly diverse and growing needs. Finally, it has strengthened my belief that field operations must be complemented by strong advocacy efforts,” concluded Benjamin Nguyen. 

A commitment to international solidarity 

Since 1997, Benjamin Nguyen has held various coordination and leadership positions, both in the field and at headquarters, within several leading French NGOs. 

After a 23-year humanitarian career, Benjamin Nguyen decided in 2021 to continue serving vulnerable populations by putting his experience at the service of Action Against Hunger’s Board of Directors. A member of the organization since 2019, he had already witnessed the quality of its work during his first mission to Myanmar in 1997 while coordinating operations for a peer NGO. 

He was elected Deputy Treasurer following the June 2024 General Assembly, Treasurer in December 2024, and Vice President after the September 2025 General Assembly. 

This experience provides a strong foundation for his broad vision of development aid, humanitarian action, and the challenges they face. 

The Action Against Hunger Board of Directors for 2025–2026 is now composed of: 

About Action Against Hunger  

Action Against Hunger is an international French humanitarian NGO that fights global hunger. Our humanitarian work focuses on the prevention, screening, and treatment of undernutrition.
For more than 45 years, our organization has brought its expertise to various fields such as health and nutrition, food security and livelihoods, access to water, sanitation and hygiene, climate, and mental health.
Our international solidarity NGO operates in nearly 57 countries worldwide.