‘Adapt or die’: Trump to aid agencies as US cuts UN humanitarian aid

Geneva: The United States on Monday announced a $2 billion pledge for UN humanitarian aid as President Donald Trump’s administration continues to slash US foreign assistance and warns United Nations agencies to “adapt, shrink or die” in a time of new financial realities.

The money is a small fraction of what the US has contributed in the past but 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, a key part of US demands for drastic changes across the world body that have alarmed many humanitarian workers and led to severe reductions in programs and services.

The $2 billion is only a sliver of traditional US humanitarian funding for UN-backed programs, which has run as high as $17 billion annually in recent years, according to UN data. US officials say only $8-$10 billion of that has been in voluntary contributions. The United States also pays billions in annual dues related to its UN membership.

Critics say the Western aid cutbacks have been shortsighted, driven millions toward hunger, displacement or disease, and harmed US soft power around the world.

The move caps a crisis year for many UN organizations like its refugee, migration and food aid agencies. The Trump administration has already cut billions in US foreign aid.