US Pledges $2 Billion to UN Humanitarian System with Conditions Amid Aid Cuts
The United States has pledged $2 billion to the United Nations humanitarian system, with funds to be channeled through a pooled fund managed by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), rather than being allocated to individual agencies. This pledge comes amid broader US foreign aid cuts totaling about $5 billion and proposals to end some UN peacekeeping support, with $1.5 billion currently owed to the UN.
The pledged funds are to be used exclusively in 17 priority countries designated by the US, notably excluding Afghanistan and Yemen despite ongoing crises there. Among the countries included are Sudan, Haiti, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Experts have raised concerns that this arrangement could centralize control in Washington and shrink the UN humanitarian system, potentially reducing the flexibility required to respond effectively to emerging crises.
Critics argue that this approach risks making the UN humanitarian system subservient to US political priorities, thereby undermining the principles of humanitarian neutrality and independence. While some officials have described the pledge as bold and ambitious, independent analysts have viewed it as staged and limited, highlighting the clear political priorities influencing the US commitment. The $2 billion pledge is smaller than the $3.38 billion the US provided to the UN in 2025, reflecting a broader trend of aid reduction.
