Geneva – The United States has declared it would contribute $2 billion to United Nations humanitarian programs, a new model of funding that does not include Afghanistan or Yemen.
This ruling, by Jeremy Lewin at a top-level meeting in Geneva, is in response to growing concerns about humanitarian aid diversion.
Although the US still leads as the greatest donor in the world, the Trump administration has sent a strong message that there is a significant change in how relief is being disbursed.
This is why UN agencies must be prepared to face a new financial reality so that the money actually reaches those who need it instead of falling into the hands of oppressive groups.
Concerns Over Taliban and Rebel Control
The rationale to block funding to Afghanistan and Yemen is based on recent security considerations.
Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) reports have reported instances of coercion, extortion, and direct theft by the Taliban to embezzle international funds.
This organized humanitarian aid diversion caused the US officials to come to the conclusion that further provision of money as it is now would only serve to underpin the de facto authorities in Kabul.
Likewise, in Yemen, the risk of diversion of aid to militant groups has necessitated an overall freeze of the said funds until mechanisms of tight control can be ensured.
A Call for UN Accountability
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio highlighted that this 2 billion umbrella fund is meant to compel the United Nations to trim its operations and eliminate duplication.
The administration is aiming to abandon voluntary contributions, which in certain years amounted to up to 17 billion dollars.
The US hopes to remove the threat of humanitarian aid diversion by streamlining the process by compelling agencies to adopt strong new impact and accountability measures.
According to Rubio, this model will help to distribute the UN humanitarian work burden among other developed nations, but he emphasized that American fiscal assistance is no longer a negotiable item.
Impact on Global Relief Efforts
The cut in funding and the rigid exclusions are already raising eyebrows among the relief workers worldwide.
To millions of vulnerable individuals in Afghanistan and Yemen, the withdrawal of direct US assistance may result in drastic cuts in basic services.
Nevertheless, the US officials argue that the policy is a necessary human action to guarantee that American taxpayer funds are not spent on financing oppression.
The new model is focused on transparency and outcomes in order to avoid the same humanitarian aid diversion in the future, sending a strong signal that the days of wide-open and unmonitored spending are over.
