NGOs denounce the ‘immense suffering and death of thousands of people’ caused by the 90% cut in US humanitarian aid
On the occasion of World NGO Day, the NGOs Entreculturas and Alboan, as part of the Social Sector of the Society of Jesus in Spain, have issued a strong statement denouncing the devastating impact that the suspension of humanitarian aid projects by the United States is having on the lives of millions of people. The organisations point out that the decision taken by Donald Trump on 29 January has left numerous projects in more than 130 countries without resources.
‘The sudden and unplanned cessation of all this activity is causing immense human suffering and will undoubtedly mean the death of thousands of people who will be left without essential humanitarian assistance’, is just one of the many forceful phrases that can be found in a statement with which they have sought to address the confusion and uncertainty in which the international development cooperation system has been plunged.
The freezing of these funds for 90 days until a new order has not only had immediate consequences, seriously affecting vulnerable communities in key areas such as education, health and humanitarian assistance, but has also meant a step backwards in decades of progress in international development.
A position reaffirmed by the Trump Administration yesterday when it informed the judge of its intention to terminate 9,900 projects, which represents a 90% reduction in initiatives funded in 2023, affecting both the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and the State Department (including the Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration).
This decision represents a U-turn in the role of US humanitarian aid in the world. With a budget of more than 40 billion dollars a year, these interventions made the United States the world's leading donor of international aid, even though it allocated only 1% of its federal budget. However, the recent ‘dollar-by-dollar audit’ policy imposed by the US Administration has led to the paralysis of essential projects for numerous organisations.
This is the case of the International Federation of Fe y Alegría, the suspension of funds is affecting more than 16,300 participants in educational programmes and nearly 300 teachers. For its part, the Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) has been forced to halt projects in nine countries, which is having an impact on the lives of more than 100,000 refugees and displaced persons.
Beyond the blow: the future of international cooperation at stake
The suspension of US funds not only affects specific NGOs, but also weakens the entire system of international cooperation, calling into question foundations that have been in place since the Second World War, the statement points out. Despite the historical debate on the effectiveness of aid and the tension between its humanitarian and protectionist vocation of national interests, there has always been a consensus on its importance, whether for ethical or strategic reasons. ‘An agreement that is now broken,’ says the NGO.
Therefore, for the Social Sector of the Society of Jesus in Spain, ‘the suspension of humanitarian aid projects is not just a question of budgetary adjustment,’ but is a symptom of the current context of polarisation, where ‘even the defence of the values of equality, solidarity and human dignity are called into question’. For this reason, and on the occasion of World NGO Day, they point out that ‘it is more necessary than ever that those of us who believe in these values, and especially those of us in organised civil society, continue to fight to keep this legacy alive. Because, at the end of the day, the lives of many people, the most vulnerable, are at stake’.