ACTION AGAINST HUNGER IS FORCED TO CLOSE ITS U.S. AID-FUNDED PROGRAMS

Following the U.S. Administration’s brutal decision to cut 90% of USAID’s foreign funding, Action Against Hunger is forced to halt more than 50 projects in 20 different countries, helping hundreds of thousands of people and children.

Action Against Hunger is deeply outraged by this drastic decision, which will have dramatic consequences for populations cut off from vital aid overnight.

This massive cut by the US administration follows a series of communications from US authorities since President Donal Trump took office, aimed at realigning international aid with US national objectives and interests. Despite the various exemptions and contradictory communications from the US authorities in recent days, Action against hunger is currently receiving notices to terminate current contracts on the grounds that they are no longer aligned with the US Administration’s new priorities.

“For the past month, the American authorities have been using the lives of millions of people as a budgetary adjustment variable. We have received termination notices for nutrition projects that help nearly 1.5 million people, including more than 797,000 severely malnourished children under the age of 5. These activities are vital to their survival. These activities are essential for their survival. Halting them would put lives at risk unless we secure urgent support from other donors,” warns Aïcha Koraïchi, President of Action Against Hunger.

Our U.S.-funded programs covered a wide range of activities, such as epidemic management, primary and secondary health care, nutritional activities for moderate and severe malnutrition, water, sanitation and hygiene activities, financial assistance, food security and livelihoods, distribution of essential goods, and food insecurity early warning systems.

The sudden halt of a significant portion of this aid is severely impacting our operational capacity and will force us to shut-down critical operations, leaving vulnerable populations without essential assistance in several major humanitarian crises including Afghanistan and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

“This reduction in US funding is also forcing us to scale back our programs. The roles of many of our team members are now uncertain, and we are reviewing our team structure to ensure we can continue delivering vital aid,” adds Aicha Koraichi.

At the beginning of the year, American funds accounted for over 30% of Action Against Hunger’s global budget. Nevertheless, Action Against Hunger teams remain committed to doing everything possible to reach those in need, and to sustain our other programs around the world that are not dependent on U.S. government funding.

The humanitarian sector is at a critical crossroads. The decision of a single state now endangers the lives of millions of people. The scale, nature, and impact of the U.S. decision are unprecedented and reflect a troubling long-term trend. Between 2016 and 2024, the gap between humanitarian needs and available funds more than tripled, driven by a sharp rise in crises and, more recently, significant funding cuts by multiple states, including several in Europe.

“We call on Europe to take a bold step forward, to uphold humanitarian aid more than ever in line with the principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality and independence, and to drive a new movement that will save lives and create meaningful change for all ,” concludes Aïcha Koraïchi.