Geneva, Feb 4 (EFE).- Humanitarian agencies of the United Nations are grappling with confusion over US President Donald Trump’s decision to halt American funding, which has been a cornerstone of assistance for the world’s most vulnerable populations.
“The US administration is creating confusion for us because it hasn’t provided detailed instructions about what will move forward (in terms of programs and projects) and what won’t,” said Jens Laerke, spokesperson for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, on Tuesday in Geneva.
Alessandra Velucci, the Communication Director at the European headquarters of the UN, recalled that the organization has always recognized and appreciated the “generosity” the United States has shown for decades toward the most vulnerable people to whom the UN offers aid.
In response to Trump’s main complaint that his country’s humanitarian contributions are excessive and that other nations should significantly increase their contributions, Laerke stated that contributions are generally directly related to the size of each country’s economy.
“We can see the percentage of Gross Domestic Product that each country spends on humanitarian aid… we will observe the portion of wealth each country allocates to humanitarian efforts,” he added.
According to the latest data from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the US allocated 0.24 percent of its GDP to international cooperation across all sectors in 2023, compared to the international target of 0.7 percent. The leading country in this area is Norway, with 1.09 percent, followed by Sweden and Germany.
Trump has ordered the suspension of nearly all international aid programs until a review is completed, which will take 90 days.
Pio Smith, Director for Asia-Pacific at the UN Population Fund (UNFPA), said in Geneva that this organization has had to suspend all services benefiting women and girls funded by US money. This means, among other things, that 9 million people in Afghanistan will lose access to health and protection services.
Similar situations will affect Afghan refugees in Pakistan and Rohingya refugees from Myanmar in Bangladesh. EFE
is-sk
