GENEVA:
A key UN health agency warned on Tuesday that Washington’s aid cuts could lead to 1,200 additional maternal deaths in Afghanistan by 2028.
Following his inauguration last month, President Trump signed an executive order imposing a 90-day freeze on US foreign development aid. While waivers have been granted for food and humanitarian assistance, aid workers report that vulnerable communities are already feeling the impact.
The UN Population Fund (UNFPA) has halted services previously funded by US grants, affecting critical support for women and girls in crisis zones, including South Asia, according to Pio Smith, UNFPA’s regional director for Asia and the Pacific.
“We are deeply concerned about this significant funding loss,” Smith told reporters in Geneva.
In Afghanistan, where a mother dies every two hours from preventable pregnancy complications, the situation is especially dire. UNFPA estimates that between 2025 and 2028, the absence of US funding will result in 1,200 additional maternal deaths and 109,000 unintended pregnancies.
Smith noted that while previous Republican administrations had reduced UNFPA funding, they did not expect the abrupt halt of already committed USAID funds.
“The stop order affects funds that were already allocated, impacting maternal health, reproductive health, and psychosocial support programs,” he said.
UNFPA requires over $308 million this year to sustain essential services in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan, underscoring the critical need for alternative funding sources.
