In a statement, Caritas Internationalis strongly condemns the US 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 US Administration to reverse these dangerous measures.’
In addition to the longtime membership of Caritas Internationalis, Cordaid is also a member of CIDSE (Coopération Internationale pour le Développement et la Solidarité), an international family of Catholic social justice organisations, and the ACT Alliance, a global faith-based humanitarian coalition. These networks have also voiced their concerns about the recent decisions by the US administration.