U.S. pledges $2 billion for UN aid, ties funding to reforms

The United States announced a $2 billion pledge for United Nations humanitarian programs on Tuesday, warning that the organization must reform its operations or risk losing future support.

The announcement was made in Geneva by Jeremy Lewin, U.S. under secretary for foreign assistance under President Donald Trump, alongside UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher. The funding comes as Washington scales back overall humanitarian spending, with additional cuts expected from other major donors, including the United Kingdom and Germany.

Fletcher said the funds would help save “millions of lives,” but the pledge marks a sharp decline from previous U.S. contributions. In 2022, the United States provided an estimated $17 billion to UN humanitarian operations.

U.S. officials said the new funding will be conditional and limited to 17 countries, including Haiti, Syria and Sudan. Afghanistan and Yemen are excluded. Lewin said Washington has evidence that UN funds in Afghanistan were diverted to the Islamic Emirate, adding that the administration would not allow U.S. taxpayer money to reach terrorist groups.

Aid organizations warned the restrictions could worsen an already severe global humanitarian funding crisis. Shortfalls have led to the closure of maternal and child health clinics in Afghanistan and cuts to food assistance for displaced people in Sudan. The UN has warned that global child mortality rates are expected to rise after years of decline.

The U.S. conditions also bar spending on climate change-related projects, which Lewin said are not life-saving and do not align with U.S. priorities.

Lewin said the UN must “adapt or die,” arguing that U.S. funding will no longer support inefficient or outdated systems. While UN officials say they support greater efficiency and accountability, they caution that the new conditions could undermine the neutrality of humanitarian aid by excluding entire crises.

Despite the concerns, UN officials said the $2 billion pledge offers limited relief as the organization faces a deepening global funding shortfall.