The election of President Donald Trump has ushered in a sharp turn of direction for the US government in its domestic and international engagement. Since his inauguration on 20 January, President Trump has been quick to enact policy change, including freezing all international development funding from USAID. The USAID website and social media account has also been removed, with suggestions that the agency is being merged with the Department of State.
Given that the US has been by far the largest international aid donor, this sudden stop order on USAID funded activities has had an immediate negative impact on critical humanitarian and development work around the world.
The freeze initially meant halting all USAID-funded work, but waivers have since been applied to some life-saving medical and food-aid supplies. Even so, the full scope of what the freeze includes is still unclear. What does seem clear is the apparent and unfortunate lack of understanding of the systems that enable emergency supplies to reach those in need, with the USAID funding freeze exemption not applying to the transportation costs and salaries that enable the food to reach those people who are most in need.
Devastating impacts
The stories emerging from charities and practitioners show that the impacts in the first week of the freeze have been devastating and wide-ranging. Examples include work preventing the spread of HIV and Mpox being halted, women’s health providers shutdown, and water and sanitation programmes suspended.
The international NGO BRAC reported to the BBC that three and a half million people would be affected by programmes it had suspended in four countries due to the freeze. Children are particularly hardest hit, with the administration of live-saving vaccines and provision of education effectively taken away from them overnight.
Here at IDS, we have also witnessed first-hand the consequences of the US government’s action last week. Some of our researchers and partners were left in limbo after being told to suspend immediately the three-day workshop which they were actually in the midst of facilitating, in this case to help address gender, equity, accessibility and social inclusion concerns in government-led sanitation programmes.
Even domestically in the US, we read claims of health insurance payments for Americans being suspended, apparently caught up in the swathing disruption caused by the USAID freeze directive.
Damaging lives
This type of sudden funding freeze – pulling the rug from under so many not-for-profits, big and small – is short-termism in its worst form. In addition to the immediate damaging consequences for people’s lives, it severs trust and partnerships that in many cases will have taken years to establish. This is particularly true for research partnerships for international development, such as those working to identify and track the spread of diseases like Mpox or working with communities to understand how to improve local sanitation.
President Trump has also decided not only to withdraw US funding from the World Health Organisation but has ordered the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention workers to stop working with the World Health Organization, effective immediately. This is terrible timing for the current Ebola outbreak in Uganda, where the CDC had been working with the WHO as part of inter-agency efforts to share resources to track and prevent further spread of the disease. Such an action could have severe consequences for global health and global health security – which affects us all.
Short-sighted approach
The disruptions caused by the USAID freeze are rippling out around the world and in addition to the short-term damage, the longer-term consequences of this sudden policy change will show it to be short-sighted, particularly in the broader realm of geopolitics, soft power and diplomacy. It gives the impression that the US is willing to vacate its role in international development and humanitarianism and could see other global actors stepping further into the international development space to fill the vacuum.
China already has enormous international development investments across Africa, and set out its ambitions in that regard through its multi-billion Global Development Initiative. The merits of China’s approach to international development can be argued from both sides but its presence is clear. If the US retreats, China’s role in Africa and other lower-income countries will become ever more dominant.
The argument for higher income countries stepping up to contribute Official Development Assistance (ODA) is well worn. Although countries have wavered in the amount of the contribution they make, including the UK, ( only 15 countries have met the UN spending target of 0.7% gross national income since 1960), most recognise the soft power and relationship building it provides them around the world. Foreign policy and diplomacy, which are crucial components that sit alongside development, require good relationships, which this recent action from the US is destroying in a matter of days.
The clearest benefit of investing in international development is the clear correlation between the benefits ODA can provide to the most in need in other countries and the benefits it brings domestically. This is most clearly demonstrated in the realm of global health, where preventing the development or spread of an emerging infectious disease in one country, protects populations globally, in today’s closely interconnected world.
Global challenges do not observe national boundaries
The commitment, knowledge and effort of local communities and civil society are crucial as they work with national governments to address global challenges that do not observe national boundaries. The sudden withdrawal of international development assistance is undermining and potentially destroying, the ability of these important coalitions and partnerships to function, ultimately putting us all at risk.
Just days into the Trump Presidency it is devastating to see the immediate impacts of his actions reaching out across the globe, putting many lives and livelihoods at risk. Sadly, his climate change denial and policies such as withdrawing from the Paris Climate Change Agreement (again), even when parts of the US are on fire due to the effects of climate change, will also continue to put lives at risk and put back all aspects of international development – including poverty, food and agriculture, and sanitation.
I hope we can support one another with respect and care, recognising the toll this will be taking on people in different contexts, in different ways. At IDS, we will continue to work on producing the evidence and knowledge to inform the action and leadership needed for more equitable and sustainable development globally.
