The United States on Monday announced a US$2 billion pledge for UN humanitarian aid as President Donald Trump’s administration continued to slash US foreign assistance and warn United Nations agencies to “adapt, shrink or die” in a time of new financial realities.
The money is a small fraction of what the US has contributed in the past but reflected what the administration believes is a generous amount that would maintain the United States’ status as the world’s largest humanitarian donor.
The pledge creates an umbrella fund from which money will be doled out to individual agencies and priorities, a key part of US demands for drastic changes across the world body that have alarmed many humanitarian workers and led to severe reductions in programmes and services.
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The US$2 billion is only a sliver of traditional US humanitarian funding for UN-backed programmes, which has run as high as US$17 billion annually in recent years, according to UN data. US officials say only US$8 billion to US$10 billion of that has been in voluntary contributions. The United States also pays billions in annual dues related to its UN membership.
Critics say the Western aid cutbacks have been shortsighted, driven millions towards hunger, displacement or disease, and harmed US soft power around the world.
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The move caps a crisis year for many UN organisations like its refugee, migration and food aid agencies. The Trump administration has already cut billions in US foreign aid, prompting them to slash spending, aid projects and thousands of jobs. Other traditional Western donors have reduced outlays, too.
