The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) has warned that the decision by the United States of America (USA) to suspend $377 million (23.8 billion meticals) in funding for the agency will have potentially devastating impacts on women and girls due to the reduction of essential services in several countries, including Mozambique.
The agency said that the lack of US support will significantly undermine efforts to prevent maternal deaths, especially in regions affected by conflict and crisis, further reducing essential support to millions of people, particularly in the health sector.
In a statement released by Carta de Moçambique, UNFPA highlighted that the US is a key partner and has helped strengthen global health systems and save countless lives over the past decades.
‘In the last four years alone, with US government investments to save lives, we have prevented more than 17,000 maternal deaths, nine million unwanted pregnancies and nearly three million unsafe abortions, expanding access to voluntary family planning,’ it added.
UNFPA therefore urged the US administration to reconsider its decision and regain its position as a leader in global public health, saving millions of lives. ‘We promise to continue working tirelessly to defend the health, safety and dignity of women and girls around the world.’
At the end of January, US President Donald Trump ordered a freeze on foreign aid, mainly channelled through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), which supports various programmes in this area, including in Mozambique.
The decision caused panic among humanitarian organisations around the world that depend on US contracts to continue operating. In Mozambique, the decision mainly affected health programmes, particularly HIV mitigation.
‘In the last four years alone, with US government investments to save lives, we have prevented more than 17,000 maternal deaths, nine million unwanted pregnancies and nearly three million unsafe abortions, expanding access to voluntary family planning.’
Recently, American businessman and Microsoft founder Bill Gates accused Tesla and SpaceX CEO and current head of the US Department of Government Efficiency, Elon Musk, of being responsible for the deaths of several HIV-positive children in the world’s poorest countries, including Mozambique.
Musk supported US President Donald Trump in the process of dismantling the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), a move that has raised significant concerns about the future of global aid. The justification given is to reduce government spending and integrate USAID’s functions into the State Department, led by Secretary Marco Rubio.
The US is responsible for approximately 40% of total global humanitarian aid and support and is one of the main financiers of development programmes, especially in Africa.
Gates said the decision has left food and medicine to rot in warehouses, which could lead to the resurgence of diseases such as HIV, polio and measles, recalling that Elon Musk once called USAID a ‘criminal organisation’.
Mozambique, which depends heavily on this support, faces uncertainty about the impact of the funding cut. USAID has been a crucial partner in the country’s development since 2004. Its funds were distributed mainly to the health sector, followed by education, sanitation, food security, environmental protection, climate change, energy and infrastructure – vital contributions to the advancement of economic growth and social well-being in Mozambique.
Data indicate that Mozambique was the member of the Community of Portuguese-Speaking Countries (CPLP) that received the most aid from USAID in 2023, totalling $664.1 million (41.7 billion meticals).
