'Adapt, Shrink Or Die,' Trump Admin Warns As US Pledges $2 Billion For UN Humanitarian Aid

(MENAFN- Live Mint) The United States pledged $2 billion for UN humanitarian aid on Monday as US President Donald Trump's administration continues to slash US foreign assistance, warning the United Nations agencies to“adapt, shrink or die”.

The $2 billion is only a small fraction of what the US has contributed in the past years, but, according to the Associated Press (AP), it reflects what the administration believes is a generous amount that will 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.

This $2 billion is only a sliver of the traditional US funding, alarming many humanitarian workers and leading to severe reductions in programs and services.

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According to UN data, the traditional US humanitarian funding for UN-backed programs has run as high as $17 billion annually in recent years. AP, citing US officials, said that only $8-$10 billion of it has been in voluntary contributions.

The United States also pays billions in annual dues related to its UN membership.

The Western aid cutbacks have been shortsighted, driven millions toward hunger, displacement or disease, and harmed US soft power around the world, AP quoted critics as saying.

A year of crisis in aid

The US capping its aid has led to a crisis year for many UN organisations like its refugee, migration and food aid agencies, AP said. 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 like Britain, France, Germany and Japan have also reduced aid allocations and sought reforms this year.

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According to AP, the announced US pledge for UN aid programs is a preliminary deal with the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), run by Tom Fletcher, a former British diplomat and government official.

The United Nations is the world's leading provider of humanitarian assistance and the largest recipient of US humanitarian aid funding.

Needs have ballooned across the world, even as the US pulls back its aid: Famine has been recorded this year in parts of conflict-ridden Sudan and Gaza, and floods, drought and natural disasters that many scientists attribute to climate change have taken many lives or driven thousands from their homes.

These cuts from the US will reportedly have major implications for UN affiliates like the International Organisation for Migration, the World Food Program and the refugee agency UNHCR, which have already received billions less from the US this year than under annual allocations from the previous administrations.

US seeks aid consolidation

The United States wants to see“more consolidated leadership authority” in UN aid delivery systems, a senior State Department official told AP. Under the plan, Fletcher and his coordination office“are going to control the spigot” on how money is distributed to agencies, the official said.

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“This humanitarian reset at the United Nations should deliver more aid with fewer tax dollars - providing more focused, results-driven assistance aligned with US foreign policy,” US Ambassador to the United Nations Michael Waltz told AP.

According to AP, citing US officials, the $2 billion is just a first outlay to help fund OCHA's annual appeal for money, announced earlier this month. Fletcher, noting the upended aid landscape, already slashed the request this year.

The State Department, in a statement, said,“The agreement requires the UN to consolidate humanitarian functions to reduce bureaucratic overhead, unnecessary duplication, and ideological creep.”“Individual UN agencies will need to adapt, shrink, or die.”

Fletcher praised the deal, saying in a statement,“At a moment of immense global strain, the United States is demonstrating that it is a humanitarian superpower, offering hope to people who have lost everything.”

(With AP inputs)

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