USA cuts humanitarian help to UN from $17 billion to $2 billion | EUROtoday

As of: December 29, 2025 8:50 p.m

From 17 billion US {dollars} to 2: The USA desires to chop its help to the United Nations. The cash ought to solely go to sure international locations. According to the Foreign Ministry, there might be extra money once more sooner or later.

The USA solely desires to make a binding dedication to the UN emergency help group OCHA of two billion US {dollars} per 12 months, i.e. round 1.7 billion euros. This was introduced by Jeremy Lewin from the US State Department in Geneva.

To date, the US has spent as much as $17 billion per 12 months on UN emergency help. With solely two billion US {dollars} dedicated from the USA for emergency help, the United Nations can not merely finance what it desires. Rather, the US authorities dedicates the cash to particular international locations.

Money for Syria and Ukraine – not for Gaza

Initially, 17 international locations are deliberate to obtain the cash, together with Bangladesh, Haiti, Syria and Ukraine. Afghanistan is expressly not on the record as a attainable recipient nation, neither is the Gaza Strip.

The US authorities consultant Lewin emphasised in Geneva that it doesn’t have to remain at two billion US {dollars} per 12 months. It may be extra. Lewin additionally made it clear that US President Donald Trump considers the UN emergency help group OCHA to be in pressing want of reform.

The Under-Secretary-General Tom Fletcher, who’s chargeable for humanitarian help on the UN, tried to seek out as many positives as attainable within the drastically decreased help from the USA. The promised two billion US {dollars} would signify a brave and impressive management efficiency by President Trump. The cash will save the lives of many tens of millions of individuals.

According to United Nations knowledge, the United States stays the world’s largest donor of humanitarian help.