GENEVA, April 3: A high-level discussion at the United Nations Office in Geneva today exposed the devastating human cost of recent USAID funding cuts, with experts warning of catastrophic consequences for vulnerable populations across conflict zones. The World Muslim Congress and World Initiative for Sustainable Development of Mankind hosted the urgent session, drawing attention to collapsing healthcare systems, worsening food insecurity, and growing instability in regions including Afghanistan, Pakistan-administered Kashmir, and Palestine.
The panel of international experts revealed shocking details of the crisis. Dr. Carrie Pemberton Ford of Cambridge University presented evidence showing how interrupted vaccination programs threaten to reverse decades of progress against polio in Pakistan, while Afghan journalist Gulalai Karima described hospitals without medicine and schools without teachers in her homeland. “What we’re witnessing is the systematic unraveling of basic human dignity,” Karima told attendees, detailing how Afghanistan’s economic collapse has pushed millions into starvation since the 2021 aid suspension.
The discussion took a sharp political turn as Mehmet Sukru Guzel, president of the Center for Peace and Reconciliation Studies, accused Washington of using aid as “diplomatic blackmail” to force foreign policy changes. His claims were echoed by Michael Probsting of the Revolutionary Communist International Tendency, who linked the cuts to what he called the Trump administration’s “redistribution of wealth to the super-rich” through tax policies.
Altaf Hussain Wani, chairman of the Kashmir Institute of International Relations, who hosted the event, warned that the humanitarian catastrophe now unfolding could have lasting geopolitical consequences. “When you deprive entire populations of medicine and bread, you plant the seeds of future conflicts,” Wani cautioned, calling for immediate UN intervention to restore suspended programs.
The session concluded with stark warnings about the potential resurgence of preventable diseases, mass displacement crises, and the collapse of fragile health systems that depend on consistent international support. Panelists urged donor nations to decouple humanitarian assistance from political agendas, with several speakers emphasizing that current policies violate fundamental human rights principles enshrined in UN conventions. The event’s findings are expected to inform ongoing debates at the Human Rights Council as pressure grows for a coordinated international response to what participants described as one of the most pressing humanitarian emergencies of our time.
UNHCR Responds to Findings from WMC-WISDOM Side Event on USAID Freeze Humanitarian Crisis
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has acknowledged the urgent concerns raised during the side event hosted by the World Muslim Congress (WMC) and World Initiative for Sustainable Development of Mankind (WISDOM) at the UN Office in Geneva on 3rd April, which exposed the severe humanitarian and human rights consequences of the USAID funding freeze.
The discussion, titled “Humanitarian and Human Rights Consequences of USAID Freeze & Human Rights Violations: Impact on Global Peace and Security,” featured testimonies from conflict zones, policy experts, and human rights advocates. Key concerns included: Collapse of healthcare systems in Afghanistan, Pakistan-administered Kashmir, and Palestine due to suspended aid. Food insecurity and malnutrition crises, particularly affecting women and children. Geopolitical weaponization of aid, with accusations that the U.S. is leveraging funding cuts to influence foreign policy in recipient nations. Risk of disease resurgence, including polio and measles, due to interrupted vaccination programs. Urge the United Nations to lead true humanitarian reform. Past humanitarian reform efforts from the Transformative Agenda to the Grand Bargain have avoided changing humanitarian response architecture globally. This architecture has weakened substantially and is not fit for purpose. A “next-generation” architecture is needed that prioritizes frontline needs and organizations and does not entrench existing power dynamics within the aid system. This should include efforts to establish predictable humanitarian financing. A new initiative by UN Humanitarian Coordinator Tom Fletcher called the “humanitarian reset” has promise to streamline aid delivery and build in greater accountability to local partners, but only if it takes aim at the United Nations in addition to others in the humanitarian system.
In an official statement, a UNHCR spokesperson expressed deep concern over the findings, stating: “The suspension of critical aid programs has exacerbated suffering in some of the world’s most vulnerable regions. We echo the call for sustained humanitarian financing to prevent further deterioration of health, education, and food security systems.”
The agency highlighted that Afghanistan remains one of the most affected countries, where the withdrawal of USAID support has led to: A near-total collapse of public healthcare, with hospitals lacking essential medicines. A 60% drop in girls’ school attendance due to halted education funding. A sharp increase in acute malnutrition cases, particularly among displaced populations.
The side event concluded with urgent appeals to: Restore frozen aid immediately to prevent further loss of life. Establish alternative funding mechanisms through partnerships with WHO, Gavi, and the Gates Foundation. Pressure the U.S. and other donor nations to depoliticize humanitarian assistance. While the U.S. Mission in Geneva has yet to issue a formal response, diplomatic sources indicate that the event has reignited debates within the UN Human Rights Council on whether aid suspensions constitute violations of international humanitarian law.
