United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has voiced serious concerns over the sweeping cuts to U.S. foreign assistance, warning that the reductions could prove disastrous for vulnerable populations worldwide
Addressing reporters at the UN on Friday, Guterres remarked, “Going through with these cuts will make the world less healthy, less safe and less prosperous.
“The reduction of America’s humanitarian role and influence will run counter to American interests globally,”
These aid cuts, first announced by the administration of former President Donald Trump, follow a deliberate pause in U.S. foreign aid to reassess all assistance programs under the “America First” policy. The review has led to a marked decrease in funding across a range of international initiatives.
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Guterres highlighted that this reduction in U.S. support has already left crucial programs in South Sudan—designed to help those fleeing the conflict in Sudan—severely underfunded, resulting in dangerously overcrowded border areas. In addition, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime now faces a suspension of many counter-narcotics operations, including those aimed at addressing the fentanyl crisis, while efforts to combat human trafficking have been dramatically scaled back. Funding for health initiatives targeting HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria has also been halted.
Expressing his hope for a policy reversal, Guterres added, “I can only hope that these decisions can be reversed based on more careful reviews, and the same applies to other countries that have recently announced reductions in humanitarian and development aid,”
Despite these setbacks, every UN agency remains steadfast in its commitment to deliver life-saving aid to those in need. Meanwhile, the U.S. State Department has reported that it evaluated over 6,000 multi-year aid awards and eliminated nearly 5,800 of them—resulting in a reduction of $54 billion in aid—while nearly 30 percent of foreign aid-related grants, totaling $4.4 billion, have been cut.
Source: Ripples
