Reported by Emma Farge
GENEVA (Reuters) – The United Nations human rights office announced on Tuesday that it has been notified by the U.S. government of the termination of five of its projects, leading to the closure of certain programs, including assistance for torture victims in Iraq.
President Donald Trump of the United States is reducing funding for foreign aid programs worldwide as part of a significant spending restructuring by the largest aid provider globally. Specific details regarding the cuts and their impact on a global scale are now coming to light.
According to Ravina Shamdasani, spokesperson for the U.N. human rights office, the termination notices encompassed projects in Equatorial Guinea, Iraq, Ukraine, and Colombia, as well as funding for indigenous communities, which were previously supported by the U.S. Agency for International Development and the U.S. State Department.
“We will need to scale back our activities in certain countries, such as Colombia and Iraq, while also attempting to reallocate resources in other areas,” Shamdasani informed journalists in Geneva.
The U.N. human rights office operates offices and teams worldwide dedicated to documenting human rights violations, assisting individuals in unlawful detention, and safeguarding human rights advocates.
Shamdasani also noted that the program in Iraq, aimed at aiding victims of torture and families of the missing, will be completely discontinued, though she did not provide additional specifics.
In the past, the United States was a primary contributor to the U.N. human rights office, supplying nearly 14% of its budget last year in addition to obligatory U.N. dues.
“This is a critical moment for increased investment in human rights rather than reduced funding. Human rights efforts are essential for conflict prevention, crisis resolution, and crisis prevention, so High Commissioner Volker Turk is urging all countries to enhance their commitments,” Shamdasani remarked.
(Reported by Emma Farge, Edited by Rachel More and Deepa Babington)
