Canada is “deeply concerned” about the efforts of the Trump administration to dismant aid.
The administration said this week that it is taking out all employees of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) of work and outside the countryside worldwide in the end of Friday unless they are considered essential.
The agency's website was replaced by that elimination notice On Monday, their social media accounts have fallen, and all funds have frozen when the president of the United States, Donald Trump, and his allies point to what they call the waste spending of many USAID programs.
USAID works with several international partners, including Canada, to respond to humanitarian crises and support vulnerable populations worldwide, said a spokesman for the Minister of International Development Ahmed Hussen in a statement sent by email to Global News.
“Canada is deeply concerned about the decision of the US administration.
“The loss of leadership and resources of USAID represents a dangerous retirement that risks decades of progress in the fight against inequality, hunger, pandemics and authoritarianism. This decision will be more affected for those who depend on food security aid, medical care and emergency relief. “
The United States is the world's largest humanitarian donor by far.
It spends less than one percent of your budget in foreign assistance, a participation less than several European countries. Canada also spends less than one percent of its GDP at foreign aid.
The USAID fund projects in some 120 countries aimed at fighting epidemics, educating children, providing clean water and supporting other areas of development.
But Trump and allies such as Elon Musk have also focused on the programs of the agency funds that promote diversity and inclusion, particularly for people LGBTQ2+ and gender equality.
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Canada has associated with USAID in several projects during the last decade, including water management in Peru and humanitarian relief in Gaza and the West Bank. Many of the projects listed in an online partner profile indicated gender equality as a “significant” result or objective, in line with The established priorities of Canada for foreign aid.
“Canada has been clear: foreign aid is not a brochure, it is an investment in the security and well -being of Canadians and communities around the world,” said the spokesman for the Hussen office.
The Secretary of State of the United States, Marco Rubio, who has been appointed interim director of USAID, has defended the closure of the agency and said that foreign aid will continue after a review “from the bottom up.”
“It's not about finishing foreign aid. It is about structuring it in a way that promotes the national interest of the United States, ”Rubio told journalists on Wednesday in Guatemala City.
Democratic legislators have protested outside the Washington closed offices of Usaid this week, calling the actions headed by “illegal” musk and a “blow”.
Aid of the 'Scrambling' community, the Canadian beneficial organization says
USAID notice said the essential personnel “responsible for the critical functions of the mission, central leadership and specially designated programs” would be reported on Thursday afternoon if they will be maintained.
The massive elimination of thousands of employees would condemn billions of dollars in international projects, including security assistance for Ukraine and other countries, as well as development work for clean water, training and education, even for under schoolgirls Taliban domain in Afghanistan.
The closure means health programs, such as those accredited with the epidemics of polyomyelitis and smallpox and an acclaimed HIV/AIDS program, the emergency plan of the president of the United States for the relief of AIDS (Pepfar), which saved more than 20 Millions of lives in Africa have already stopped.
They have also done so monitoring and deployments of rapid response equipment for contagious diseases, such as an Ebola outbreak in Uganda.
Hundreds of millions of dollars of food and medicines already delivered by US companies are sitting in the ports due to the sudden closure of the administration agency.
Lauren Ravon, executive director of Oxfam Canada, told Global News that the international aid community is “fighting” to stay afloat. Oxfam does not receive USAID funds directly, but it is associated with organizations that yes.
“There is no country or a community on this planet that has not had any level of support from Usaid,” he said, from medical care systems to civil society and refugee aid programs.
Ravon said Oxfam, who focuses on promoting women's rights and sexual and reproductive freedom worldwide, worries that these initiatives suffer even if Usaid returns in a more limited capacity.
Hussen's office said Canada will continue its foreign aid missions without partners of the United States government.
“Our government will not retreat from its international commitments,” he said. “Global challenges demand collective action, and we will continue doing our part forging new associations that support peace, security and prosperity for all.”
Ravon said that filling the void left by Usaid is “almost insurmountable.”
“The world has faced record levels of humanitarian crises, so the humanitarian system as a whole was already excessive,” he said. “Having the fall in the background has huge implications.”
—With Associated Press files
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