By Zoila Palma: Today, the United States announced it will pledge $2 billion for United Nations humanitarian aid, a sharp reduction from past contributions, as the Trump administration continues to scale back foreign assistance and presses U.N. agencies to overhaul their operations.
U.S. officials described the funding as generous under new fiscal realities, warning the United Nations to “adapt, shrink or die” as part of a broader push for reform.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the new approach would shift more responsibility to other developed nations and force the U.N. to streamline its aid delivery.
“This new model will better share the burden of U.N. humanitarian work with other developed countries and will require the U.N. to cut bloat, remove duplication, and commit to powerful new impact, accountability and oversight mechanisms,” Rubio said.
The funds will be placed in a central pool managed by the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), rather than distributed directly to individual agencies, CBS reports.
The $2 billion pledge represents only a fraction of traditional U.S. humanitarian support, which has reached as high as $17 billion annually in recent years, according to U.N. data. Critics argue the reductions are shortsighted, warning they could worsen hunger, displacement and disease worldwide while weakening U.S. influence abroad.
The cuts come as humanitarian needs surge due to conflicts in places such as Sudan and Gaza, as well as climate-related disasters.
U.N. agencies including the World Food Program, the International Organization for Migration and the U.N. refugee agency UNHCR have already faced deep funding shortfalls this year. Under the new plan, OCHA chief Tom Fletcher would have expanded authority to allocate aid to priority crises and countries, a move U.S. officials say will improve efficiency and results.
“This humanitarian reset at the United Nations should deliver more aid with fewer tax dollars,” said U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Michael Waltz.
The State Department said the agreement requires U.N. agencies to consolidate operations and reduce bureaucratic overhead, adding that reform is essential to sustaining humanitarian work.
The post International News: U.S. slashes U.N. humanitarian aid pledge, urges agencies to “Adapt, shrink or die” appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.
By Zoila Palma: Today, the United States announced it will pledge $2 billion for United Nations humanitarian aid, a sharp reduction from past contributions, as the Trump administration continues to scale back foreign assistance and presses U.N. agencies to overhaul their operations. U.S. officials described the funding as generous under new fiscal realities, warning the
The post International News: U.S. slashes U.N. humanitarian aid pledge, urges agencies to “Adapt, shrink or die” appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.
