UN slashes global aid plan over ‘deepest funding cuts ever’
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THE United Nations said Monday it was drastically scaling back its global humanitarian aid plans because of the “deepest funding cuts ever” — leaving tens of millions of people facing dire straits.
The UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said it was seeking $29 billion in funding for 2025 compared to the $44 billion originally requested in December, in a “hyper-prioritized” appeal.
Since US President Donald Trump returned to office in January, the United States — the world’s top donor — has heavily slashed foreign aid, causing havoc in the humanitarian sector across the globe.
Drastic US funding cuts have had dramatic consequences for emergency aid, vaccination campaigns and the distribution of drugs to fight AIDS.
Other major donor countries have also cut back their contributions in the face of an uncertain economic outlook. “Brutal funding cuts leave us with brutal choices,” OCHA chief Tom Fletcher said in a statement. “All we ask is one per cent of what you chose to spend last year on war. But this isn’t just an appeal for money — it’s a call for global responsibility, for human solidarity, for a commitment to end the suffering.”
‘Cruel’, ‘heartbreaking’ In late April, while visiting a hospital in Kandahar in Afghanistan, Fletcher warned: “Cutting funding for those in greatest need is not something to boast about... The impact of aid cuts is that millions die.” — AFP
Source: The Global New Light of Myanmar
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