UN chief Achim Steiner: Europe must not take the US path
Achim Steiner has a packed schedule. Between meetings and interviews, he has been able to visit Crown Prince Sessan Victoria, who is an ambassador for UNDP, and after the interview with DN to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to meet Sweden’s aid and foreign trade minister Benjamin Dousa (M).
Before the visit to Sweden, he has been to Berlin to participate when Germany’s new government takes form and the country’s aid policy is discussed.
His message during meetings with Europe’s politicians is clear: when the US aid money disappears, the support from Europe must be steady.
– Right now the whole system is shaking. In this turbulent time, I want to see how the situation can stabilize, he says.
The United States has underneath Donald Trump’s leadership frozen the money from the US authority for international assistance, USAID. In the past, the United States has been one of the countries in the world that has given the most – in 2024 the country accounted for 42 percent of all humanitarian aid registered by the UN.
According to Achim Steiner, the decision will mean shock waves that strike the worst against people who are already in need. According to the Swedish aid authority Sida’s analysis, the freezing of USAID will mean that at least 34 million people are without vital support unless financing is resumed.
The consequences are already visible. The UN Food Program has sounded alarms about declining warehouses in refugee camps. Programs that offer HIV medicines, which have had the United States as the largest contributor, may soon be forced to shut down their operations.
– We must in principle tell people that they will no longer receive any treatment. If nothing else shows up, this can become a death sentence for thousands of people, says Achim Steiner.
Other organizations and UN agencies that work in previously-hit countries, such as Syria and Iraq, basically saw how billions of SEK disappeared from their operations.
The holes in organizations funding when the money from USAID disappears, will be difficult for Europe’s countries to cover up. At the same time, Steiner believes that it will be all the more important that Europe does not go the same path as the United States – something he sees trends today.
Several European countries have cut into their aid budgets. Sweden’s assistance will also decrease from SEK 56 to SEK 53 billion next year.
– Europe has not been far behind the United States in cutting down in humanitarian aid and development organizations. So Europe needs to rethink. We cannot make the same choice as the United States.
Achim Steiner indicates that There is a picture of aid money in many European countries as ineffective. Why spend money on a project on the other side of the globe, when there are acute problems in the country?
– Firstly, some consider money as it does not really have a particularly big impact. Secondly, it takes money from domestic priorities, and thirdly you think: Why should we really care?
But if future disasters are to be avoided, Steiner believes that countries can not only see the problems within the country’s borders. The major security risks for countries are not just about war in our geographical vicinity. Things such as pandemics and climate change are real threats to countries and to solve these problems, countries do not work inward.
-It’s not science fiction scenario anymore. If you do not address the problems, real risks are created. We can do something about it, but not by countries turning their backs to the rest of the world.
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