What next after the freeze of united states funding? Official development aid and the international aid community face existential questions about their future

10/03/2025

For several weeks now, there is worldwide concern and indignation at the brutal shutdown of USAID, the world’s number one humanitarian and development aid funding agency. The United States share in emergency operations was considerable. The brutal interruption has disastrous humanitarian consequences, and has a ‘domino’ effect, which cannot yet be easily measured. these challenges are not for aid sector professionals alone, and the attack on ODA goes beyond a discussion about budgets: it is an act of defiance against our vision of the world and our collective responsibilities [...]