In a statement, Caritas Internationalis strongly condemns the U.S. administration’s reckless decision to abruptly close USAID-funded programmes and offices. As a founding member of this worldwide network of humanitarian organisations, Cordaid stands behind the words of Alistair Dutton, Secretary General of Caritas Internationalis. ‘This is an inhumane affront to people’s God-given human dignity that will cause immense suffering.’
Caritas recognises the right of any new administration to review its foreign aid strategy. However, the ruthless and chaotic way this callous decision is being implemented threatens the lives and dignity of millions.
Stopping USAID will jeopardise essential services for hundreds of millions of people, undermine decades of progress in humanitarian and development assistance, destabilise regions that rely on this critical support, and condemn millions to dehumanising poverty or even death.
Six Decades of Life-Saving Assistance
For over six decades, USAID has been a vital partner of Caritas and the Church globally. It supports vulnerable communities worldwide, provides lifesaving assistance for people affected by crises, alleviates hunger, delivers essential health care and education, improves access to clean water, sanitation, shelter and protection, and addresses the root causes of poverty. Its contributions have been paramount, fostering stability and development across many regions for decades.
‘Stopping USAID abruptly will kill millions of people and condemn hundreds of millions more to lives of dehumanising poverty,’ says Alistair Dutton, Secretary General of Caritas Internationalis. ‘This is an inhumane affront to people’s God-given human dignity that will cause immense suffering. Killing USAID also presents massive challenges for all of us in the global humanitarian community, who must completely reassess whom we can continue to serve and how.
Reducing the Impact of the Freeze
‘Our immediate focus is working collaboratively with our partners and allies globally to reduce the impact of the freeze and ensure continued support for as many vulnerable people as possible. The lives and dignity of millions hang in the balance. We call on governments, international agencies, and stakeholders to speak out and strongly urge the U.S. Administration to reverse these dangerous measures.’
The ramifications of this decision extend far beyond U.S. borders. With USAID accounting for approximately 40% of the total global aid budget, the disruption will have catastrophic consequences worldwide.
Direct recipients of USAID funds, secondary beneficiaries, UN agencies, multilateral organisations, and national governments reliant on bilateral aid face severe operational setbacks. The resulting harm to people, particularly the poorest, will be catastrophic, threatening the lives and dignity of millions.
In response, Caritas is taking proactive steps, including:
- Advocacy efforts: Engaging with national governments, U.S. embassies, and diplomatic representatives to emphasize the far-reaching consequences of the aid freeze and orchestrate urgent efforts to reverse it.
- Information gathering: Partnering with networks to assess and document the impact on humanitarian programmes.
- Coordination: Strengthening communication to support collaborative and strategic responses among partners.
Conscious that Marco Rubio, U.S. Secretary of State, announced the suspension of USAID for a review of all their programmes, we anticipate the results of this evaluation and urge the U.S. Administration to reaffirm its commitment to compassion and peace by supporting the most vulnerable people worldwide.
We remain hopeful that a constructive dialogue will lead to positive outcomes that uphold the shared goal of supporting those most in need.