USAID freeze is not only disastrous, but deadly
The Trump administration's gutting of USAID threatens to undermine decades of progress in humanitarian and development assistance, destabilase regions and risk millions of people falling into poverty according to Matthew Maury, acting CEO at the Australian Council for International Development (ACFID).
US President Trump’s government announced the suspension of US development and humanitarian assistance on January 24 and, Maury writes, it come at a huge cost to the world.
Not only have the world’s most vulnerable – the sick, the hungry and refugees – been directly impacted, the whole planet will feel the far-reaching implications.
The executive order issued by President Trump has paused nearly all humanitarian and development assistance for 90 days, with a decision pending as to what projects will be given permission to continue after that time.
The Trump administration ordered the closure of the Washington DC headquarters of the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and recalled thousands of staff who had been based overseas. The decision has affected the entire global humanitarian system with mass layoffs of development and humanitarian workers around the world.
Programs have been paused. Life-saving supplies have been left in warehouses and emergency food assistance has been abandoned to rot. The decision has interrupted critical relief work including services providing access to health care, food, education and clean water. Hundreds of millions of people have lost access to services.
The great irony of all of this is that the Trump action was predicated on a belief that this decision serves the US national interest and the goal of building a safer and more prosperous America. The real impact will be just the opposite.
Many are asking, "What can be done?" Maury says firstly, the USAID crisis creates an opportunity for the Australian government to be a good global neighbour as predicated on our national values of caring for the vulnerable and responding with compassion when a crisis happens. Australia could step up and help address some of the immediate needs in our region and more widely.
In a practical sense for the Australian government, it might mean stepping up on climate programs in the Pacific. Or providing further resourcing for the recently released Australian International Gender Equality Strategy. Both types of programs are a priority for communities in the Pacific and also face significant risk of not being funded again by the US government.
Secondly, with an Australian election on the horizon, now is a great time for the Australian public to speak up for Safer World for All, a non-partisan campaign supported by more than 30 Australian organisations calling on all sides of government to commit to building a safer, peaceful and more secure world.
Read Maury’s full response here.
