Antonio Guterres, the Secretary-General of the United Nations (UN) has expressed worries after the United States, the world’s biggest foreign aid donor, froze virtually all assistance under President Donald Trump’s new administration.
The Secretary of State, Marco Rubio had on Friday in an internal memo announced the stoppage and making exceptions only for emergency food supplies, and military funding for Israel and Egypt.
New Telegraph reports that the development followed the swearing-in of President Trump as the 47th President of the United States after winning the November 5 election with a vow to put America first and to tightly restrict aid overseas.
Reacting to Trump’s decision, the UN chief, in a statement noted with concern the announcement of a pause in US foreign assistance.
The Secretary-General called for additional exemptions to be considered to ensure the continued delivery of critical development and humanitarian activities.
Guterres said help was essential for the most vulnerable communities around the world, whose lives and livelihoods depend on the support.
He, however, sought to strike a positive note on US relations, adding that he looks forward to engaging with the new United States administration on the issue.
The sweeping US order appeared to affect everything from development assistance to military aid including to Ukraine, which received billions of dollars in weapons under Trump’s predecessor, Joe Biden, as it tries to repel a Russian invasion.
The directive also means a pause of US funding for PEPFAR, the anti-HIV/AIDS initiative that buys anti-retroviral drugs to treat the disease in developing countries, largely in Africa.
Washington has long leveraged aid as a tool of foreign policy, saying it cares about development and drawing a contrast with China, which is primarily concerned about seeking natural resources.
The US memo made exceptions for military assistance to Israel, whose longstanding major arms packages from the United States have expanded further since the Gaza war and to Egypt.
Rubio also made an exception for emergency food assistance for crises around the world, including in Sudan and Syria.
