Tag:USAID

For now, development agencies, implementing partners and beneficiaries across Bangladesh face an uncertain future as one of the country’s most significant sources of international development assistance comes to a sudden halt.

This was the first major disaster to strike since the Trump administration suspended US foreign aid to Afghanistan in January. While Washington released statements of sympathy, it has made no formal pledge of direct financial assistance to quake relief.

Retrenchment is the dominant theme on both sides. However much the West and China may wish to compete for the Global South’s affections, the constraints of their respective political economies limit their offer.

The effects are far-reaching and systemic. Surveillance and monitoring systems, vital for tracking infection trends and tailoring interventions, have also been weakened.

In contrast, when Trump had said on Wednesday in Miami that USAID had spent $21 million in India, most papers not only latched on to the news but also displayed it well on Page 1.

The decision to terminate these grants reportedly came after a suggestion from Trump’s close aide, billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk. Musk advised the administration to cut down on what he described as unnecessary foreign aid spending.

The Trump administration has signalled that funding for climate programmes, gender rights, and reproductive health will likely be cut permanently.

With the Trump administration's review of foreign aid policies underway, the future of US-funded programs in Bangladesh remains uncertain.