The Norwegian Refugee Council has stopped providing assistance in almost 20 countries, including Ukraine

NRC has ended its humanitarian assistance program in nearly 20 countries, including Ukraine, due to the suspension of USAID funding. Read more about the impact on refugees abroad

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For the first time in its history, the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) was forced to suspend humanitarian aid in almost 20 countries, including Ukraine. This happened due to the suspension of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), which is one of the largest donors to the NRC.

Funding suspension and its consequences

Due to funding problems, the United States has suspended or not reimbursed the costs of global emergency assistance programs, which is already affecting millions of people around the world.

In Ukraine, the NRC was forced to cancel the emergency aid planned for February for 57,000 people in the frontline areas. This is especially critical in winter, when people need heat, food and basic goods to survive.

In addition, the organization has been forced to lay off humanitarian workers, particularly in Afghanistan, where they helped women, girls and families affected by the withdrawal of US and NATO troops in 2021.

Global impact on humanitarian programs

In 2024, the NRC assisted 1.6 million people with about $150 million in U.S. funding. This is almost 20% of the organization's budget. NRC now has millions of dollars in unpaid funding requests from the US government.

If the problem is not resolved soon, all US-funded humanitarian programs could be completely halted by the end of February.

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Among the most critical consequences are:

Burkina Faso - 300 thousand people in the blockaded city of Djibo may be left without drinking water.

Sudan - almost 500 bakeries in Darfur, which feed hundreds of thousands of people, may close.

Central and South America, the Sahel region - educational and economic programs for young people could come to a halt.

Even if funding is restored immediately, hundreds of thousands of people will have already lost vital assistance.

Why did USAID cut off funding?

USAID is the world's largest donor of humanitarian aid. In fiscal year 2023, the United States allocated $72 billion for various support programs. Established in 1961 at the initiative of President John F. Kennedy, the agency annually funds poverty alleviation, disaster response, democracy development, support for independent media and civic initiatives.

However, on January 20, 2025, the day of his inauguration, US President Donald Trump froze USAID initiatives for 90 days. As a result, the agency's employees have been massively furloughed, and the administration is considering reducing USAID's staff by more than 34 times - from 10,000 to 290 people.

This situation has already caused a humanitarian crisis in many countries where NRC's assistance was critical.

What's next?

Humanitarian organizations and international partners are calling on the U.S. government to urgently restore funding. Without it, millions of people will be left without the most basic necessities - water, food, shelter and the ability to survive in conflict and disaster zones.

The situation needs to be addressed immediately, as even a temporary halt in funding could have catastrophic consequences in the world's most vulnerable regions.

We remind you! The Ukrainian government has announced the launch of a pilot project to return refugees from abroad.

Photo: pexels

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