GENEVA - The abrupt suspension of United States of America's foreign aid has fuelled a global humanitarian catastrophe - made worse by the administration's failure to publish a review it committed to undertake of USAID contracts and disbursements, UN human rights experts* said today.
In a letter to the US government, the experts called for an urgent response following reports that close to 100 people are dying every hour since President Donald Trump signed Executive Order 14169 on 20 January 2025 suspending foreign aid, pending a review. More than 350,000 deaths stemming from the aid cuts have already been estimated - including more than 200,000 children.
"The deplorable decision by the US government to suspend foreign aid is a humanitarian emergency, not a policy adjustment," the experts said. "The poorest people in the world are dying by the minute as a result of opaque decision-making by some of the richest people to have ever walked our planet."
New figures presented to the experts reveal the devastating impact of the US aid freeze, and additional cuts to UN budgets, on UN agencies. UNFPA, the UN sexual and reproductive health agency, estimates at least 32 million people will lose access to its services. UNHCR, the UN refugee agency, estimates 12.8 million displaced people could lose access to life-saving health interventions, while the International Organization for Migration reports 10 million people may miss out on emergency assistance.
Executive Order 14169 mandated a 90-day review of US foreign aid to assess alignment with domestic policy priorities. Six months later, critical health, food, and humanitarian programmes remain suspended or cancelled - and no findings from the review have been released.
"There is no transparency, no accountability, and no clear justification for a decision that will ultimately cost millions of lives," the experts said.
They expressed alarm at a recent directive instructing all US embassies to implement the State Department's plan to abolish all USAID overseas positions by 30 September 2025, further dismantling the infrastructure needed to deliver essential services in poverty-stricken regions.
"Issuing such a sweeping directive without having publicly disclosed the review's findings - particularly the impact of cuts on poverty and human rights - is deeply problematic," the experts said.
They also raised concerns that no meaningful consultation has taken place with affected UN agencies, civil society groups, or implementing partners.
"The US has long been a cornerstone of global development. Instead, right now, it is derailing decades of progress in poverty eradication and leaving the world's poorest people to die," the experts said.
"We urge the US to recommit to the international human rights system it played such a central role in creating and restore funding immediately."
