UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Friday that Washington has notified many UN agencies and humanitarian and development organizations this week of "severe" funding cuts, which he said would be "devastating" for the world's most vulnerable people, and he urged President Trump's administration to reconsider them.
“Implementing these cuts will make the world less healthy, less secure and less prosperous,” Mr. Guterres told reporters at the United Nations. “Reducing America’s humanitarian role and influence would be counterproductive to American interests globally.”
He urged the United States, as well as other countries that have recently announced reductions in humanitarian and development assistance, to reverse their decisions after more careful reviews of the programs.
"In the meantime, every United Nations agency is ready to provide the necessary information and justification for its projects," Mr. Guterres added. "And we want to cooperate with the United States in this regard."
The UN chief did not give a dollar figure for how much the UN and its agencies will lose and declined to take questions from reporters. But the United States is the largest donor country in terms of humanitarian funding to the United Nations. In 2024, the United States provided $14 billion, just over 40% of total contributions. By contrast, Germany, the second-largest contributor, provided $2.7 billion, or about 8% of global funding.
President Trump's administration, through its Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), has cut $60 billion in aid to other countries as part of efforts to massively reduce government costs. This included closing the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and reversing decades of U.S. foreign policy that saw the soft power of humanitarian aid as in America's national interest.
This has left many international aid agencies struggling to continue their programmes. The Secretary-General said UN staff on the ground are also taking urgent steps to protect as much of their vital work as possible.
Asked later by reporters, Mr. Guterres' spokesman said the agencies had been informed of the cuts in letters, most signed by the acting deputy administrator of USAID, Peter Marocco. Spokesman Stephane Dujarric said UN officials "at a very high level" had tried to talk to US officials about the cuts.
Secretary Rubio has said that going forward, all aid to other countries will have to make America safer, stronger, and more prosperous.
A State Department spokesman said Thursday that more than 9,100 foreign aid-related projects worth more than $15.9 billion have been reviewed so far. More than 4,100 projects worth nearly $4.4 billion have been identified for elimination as part of the "America First agenda" - a 28% reduction in the total value.
“USAID assessed 6,200 multi-year projects with $58.2 billion in outstanding value,” the spokesperson added. “As a result of a process led by USAID leadership, including tranches personally reviewed by Secretary Rubio, approximately 5,800 projects with $54 billion in outstanding value were identified for elimination as part of the America First agenda – a 92% reduction.” VOA (A2 Televizion)
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