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The $2bn excavation volition people circumstantial countries oregon crises, down from US contributions of up to $17bn successful caller years.
Published On 29 Dec 2025
The United States has said it volition lend lone $2bn successful United Nations humanitarian assistance – a tiny fraction of its accepted backing scope – arsenic President Donald Trump’s medication continues to heavy downsize its relation successful overseas aid.
The reduced commitment, released connected Monday, is simply a crisp opposition to the assistance of up to $17bn the US has provided arsenic the UN’s starring funder successful caller years, astir $8 -$ 10bn of which were voluntary contributions, US officials say.
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It comes arsenic critics person levelled crisp disapproval against the US’s dramatic assistance reductions nether Trump, starring to deaths and hunger arsenic millions astir the satellite suffer shelter, sustenance and different indispensable aid.
The $2bn volition make a excavation of funds that tin beryllium directed astatine circumstantial countries oregon crises, with 17 countries – including Bangladesh, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Haiti, Syria and Ukraine – initially targeted.
Afghanistan is not included connected the list, nor is Palestine, which officials accidental volition beryllium covered by wealth included successful Trump’s yet-to-be-completed Gaza plan.
Dire outcomes arsenic Western countries propulsion backmost aid
Earlier this month, the UN launched a 2026 appeal for $23bn – fractional the magnitude it needs – arsenic the grade of Western backing losses became clear.
The UN had antecedently warned successful June it would beryllium forced to enact important programme reductions amid “the deepest backing cuts ever” to the planetary assistance sector.
Trump has effectively dismantled the US’s superior level for overseas aid, the US Agency for International Development (USAID), arsenic his medication has called upon UN agencies to “adapt, shrink oregon die” successful effect to its approach.
Other Western countries, including Germany, person besides slashed funding.
The fallout crossed the Middle East, South Asia and Africa has been swift.
In July, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said much than 11 cardinal refugees would lose entree to aid. At the time, the bureau had received conscionable 23 percent of its $10.6bn budget, and expected an wide fund of lone $3.5bn by the extremity of the twelvemonth to conscionable the needs of 122 cardinal people.
Basic services for Rohingya refugees surviving successful Bangladesh were at hazard of collapsing, UNHCR said, portion acquisition for much than 230,000 Rohingya children was expected to beryllium suspended.
The aforesaid month, the UN predicted a surge successful HIV/AIDS deaths by 2029 owed to the backing withdrawals, portion the French foundation Doctors Without Borders said more than 650 children had died from malnutrition successful Nigeria arsenic a nonstop effect of planetary assistance cuts.
‘Control the spigot’
Speaking connected information of anonymity, a elder US authoritative told The Associated Press quality bureau that the $2bn is portion of a broader program that volition spot the UN humanitarian bureau (OCHA) “control the spigot” of funds.
Trump’s medication wants to spot “more consolidated enactment authority” among UN agencies, the authoritative added.
OCHA main Tom Fletcher has previously criticised planetary “apathy” to ballooning humanitarian needs and said his bureau was “under attack”.
But Fletcher appeared to praise the $2bn deal, telling the AP the US is “demonstrating that it is simply a humanitarian superpower”.
English (US) ·