Chicago – January 28, 2025
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday called for the United States to consider additional exemptions to a 90-day pause on its foreign assistance to “ensure continued delivery of critical development and humanitarian activities.”
Just hours after taking office a week ago, U.S. President Donald Trump announced the pause so foreign aid contributions could be reviewed to see if they align with his foreign policy.
The move risks cutting off billions of dollars of life-saving assistance. The United States is the largest single donor of aid globally. In fiscal year 2023, it disbursed $72 billion in assistance.
Guterres’ spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said the U.S. was one of the U.N.’s largest contributors of voluntary humanitarian development aid, and that the world body was trying to work out what impact the pause would have.
“We’re extremely appreciative of the generosity the United States has always shown. We want to work together, to assess, to hear and deal with the concerns of the new U.S. administration, while at the same time ensuring that the most vulnerable remain protected,” Dujarric told reporters.
