The US foreign aid freeze announced by President Donald Trump has forced many aid agencies including the United Nations to fire its staff and suspend operations in several countries.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said over nine million people in Afghanistan are set to miss out on health and other essential services due to "severe cuts ".
Guterres added that cash allocations that helped one million people in Ukraine last year have been suspended and funding programs for people fleeting Sudan have also run out among other things.
Many independent NGOs too have cited fund cringe and announced closure of projects.
**[Also read | US exit from WHO: A crisis or opportunity for global health governance?](https://www.theweek.in/news/health/2025/02/08/us-exit-from-who-a-crisis-or-opportunity-for-global-health-governance.html)**
However, UN agencies have been trying to revise their operations, seek funding elsewhere and make strategic cuts. UN had urged the US to rethink its decision as well.
The UN High Commission for Refugees's (UNHCR) operations were hit and its "first cost-saving efforts" involved cutting $300 million in planned activities.
At least some of the UNHCR's partner organisations have halted activities that have led to the suspension of services for nearly 1.8 lakh people in Central African Republic, South Sudan and Uganda.
"If new funding is not forthcoming soon, more cuts in direct life-saving assistance will be inevitable," spokesman Matthew Saltmarsh told the Associated Press.
In 2023, the International Organisation for Migration received over 40 per cent of its $3.4 billion budget from the US. Now, with the funding freeze, IOM sent dismissal notices to around 3,000 staff.
Even the US's exit from the World Health Organisation has jeopardised healthcare activities globally. The agency had said that the global measles and rubella lab network is "at risk of collapse".
The US's decision has also affected the global response to Mpox as well. The US contributed $200-$250 million each year to tackle tuberculosis. The slash in funding will be affecting the program, said officials.