UN agencies gave a dire assessment on Tuesday about the global impact of deep cuts to international aid by the incoming US administration and reiterated calls for Washington to retain its position as a global aid leader.
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00:00On 24 January, the US administration paused nearly all US foreign aid programs pending a 90-day
00:05review. In response, UNFPA has suspended services funded by US grants that provide a lifeline for
00:12women and girls in crises, including in South Asia. The letters that we received are similar
00:18to what other UN agencies have received. And we are, like I mentioned earlier, engaging,
00:26trying to find more clarity from the US government and hope to get more details in
00:34particular as to why our programs are being impacted, particularly those which we would
00:40hope would be exempt under the humanitarian rubric. If I just take the example of Afghanistan,
00:48between 2025 and 2028, we estimate that the absence of US support will result in 1,200
00:57additional maternal deaths and 109,000 additional unintended pregnancies.
01:03What happens when our work is not funded? Women give birth alone in unsanitary conditions.
01:09The risk of obstetric fistula is heightened. Newborns die from preventable causes.
01:15Survivors of gender-based violence have nowhere to turn for medical or psychological support.
01:22We hope that the US government will retain its position as a global leader in development
01:27and continue to work with UNFPA to alleviate the suffering of women
01:32and their families as a result of catastrophes they did not cause.
01:35Some 47% of the global humanitarian appeal across the world last year,
01:4147% of that was funded through the US government. That gives you an indication of how much it
01:47matters when we are in the situation we are in right now with the messaging we're getting from
01:54the government.