Irish NGOs say cuts to aid funding are putting millions of lives at risk

RTÉ News​

4 days ago

Leaders in Ireland's humanitarian sector have said that millions of lives are at risk after western countries drastically cut foreign aid budgets this year.
The United Nations has said that donor retrenchment has been so large that it has been "forced into a triage of human survival".
More than 300 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance and protection, and a record 120 million people are displaced, according to NGOs.
"At a time that we're seeing an increase in violence, an increase in the death of preventable illness, an increase in hunger, what we're seeing is donors walking," said Jane-Ann McKenna, CEO of Dóchas, a network of NGOs.
Aid systems have been "completely dismantled" as a result of funding gaps, she said.
"It is women, it is children who are suffering the most as a result of these aid cuts. What we're seeing is… that over the next four years they expect that the number of deaths of AIDs related illnesses to increase by 4.2 million people. So, these are really lives on the line," she said.
Ravaged by conflict and climate change, Somalia is one country feeling the impact of the substantial aid cuts.
Those working in centres which treat malnourished children are seeing the difference already.
Admissions have "skyrocketed" according to Trócaire.
"I haven't seen them as full as they are now since I started working in Somalia eight years ago… and that is through a famine period of 2022 and 2023. That is directly attributable to aid cuts," said Paul Healy, Somalia Country Director with Trócaire.
"We've to make hard decisions in Somalia. I've seen babies die. We are not going away but we certainly have to rethink and reimagine the kind work that we can do with fewer resources and saving as many lives as possible," he said.
'The math is cruel, and the consequences are heartbreaking'
The United States, once the biggest foreign aid world donor, slashed the USAID funding when Donald Trump took office.
Cuts of £5bn to the UK overseas aid budget is due to come into effect by April 2027, as part of plans to increase defence spending.
Germany and Canada have also announced cuts to aid.
The United Nations recently announced a drastic change to its global humanitarian operations due to the deepening hole in its budget.
The UN received $5.6 billion so far this year - 13% of what it initially sought.
"The math is cruel, and the consequences are heartbreaking. Too many people will not get the support they need, but we will save as many lives as we can," said UN aid chief Tom Fletcher.
Irish aid agencies GOAL and Concern have both said that they are at risk of losing hundreds of jobs.
Documents seen by RTÉ News also revealed in April the cloud of uncertainty that overshadowed Irish NGOs in the days and weeks that followed US president Doanld Trump's executive order to freeze and terminate foreign aid funding, as tens of millions of euro in funding essentially disappeared.
Hundreds of redundancies have been reported across the Irish aid agency sector and development projects in countries such as Sierra Leone, Somalia and Syria have been significantly affected.
GOAL and Concern were the largest recipients of US government funding, with annual income of €103 million and €58.3 million from USAID respectively.
Trócaire received €1.38m from USAID and Self Help Africa received €308,000.
According to the documents, GOAL's Turkey-Syria programme was most impacted as 85% of it is funded by USAID.
As a result of the funding freeze, Self Help Africa decided to pull its services out of three African countries by the end of the year.
Concern confirmed that it has lost over €20 million in funding from the US government.
Oxfam Ireland is another charity that continues to assess the funding gap.
"We know that it's a long-term problem that is being created for political expedience in some parts of the world," said Jim Clarken, CEO, Oxfam Ireland told RTE News.
"Ultimately countries need to remember that aid isn't just about charity or immediate lifesaving work, it's about long-term development. It's also about security. Everybody's security. A more developed world is a more secure world. It's a safer world, it's a better world for everybody," he said.
Ireland must 'step-up and step-in'
Irish NGOs are now coming together, in a new campaign, to highlight their concerns, although the true impact is not fully clear.
Christian Aid Ireland chief executive, Rosamond Bennet said that she knows no one can fill the gap left by the likes of USAID.
However, she said that other countries including Ireland could show leadership when it comes to international aid.
"It is absolutely necessary that we can step-up and step-in and show leadership in this area and that the sustainable funding that Irish aid provides is absolutely crucial at this moment in time," said Rosamond Bennet.
Minister of State for International Development and Diaspora, Neale Richmond, said the Government is "absolutely committed" to maintaining the Irish Aid budget.
"Investing in this work is not only morally the right thing to do, it is also entirely within Ireland's interest to create a world that is safer, healthier and more prosperous," he said in a statement to RTÉ News.