US Promises Additional IDR 31.6 Trillion for Humanitarian Aid to the UN

Michael Waltz. (Wikimedia Commons/Gage Skidmore)

JAKARTA - The United States Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz on Thursday said his country would provide an additional 1 billion US dollars (Rp31,654,080,000,000) for humanitarian assistance, as the world body faces a growing global crisis and shrinking donor funds.

The pledge is in addition to the $2 billion (Rp35,171,200,000,000) Washington announced in December under a new system designed to speed up the delivery of life-saving aid in major emergencies.

"This will save more lives around the world but also drive the reforms we have implemented for efficiency, accountability, and sustainable impact. This is not the end of the effort. In fact, this is just the latest step," Waltz said, launching The National (15/5).

The head of the UN humanitarian affairs, Tom Fletcher, welcomed the pledge, saying aid agencies were under unprecedented pressure from conflicts, climate disasters and funding shortfalls.

"This is a very difficult time for humanitarian workers," Fletcher said.

"We are overwhelmed, short of resources, and under increasing attack," he said.

The United Nations says it needs $33 billion by 2026 to support 135 million people affected by war, epidemics, climate change and natural disasters.

The $1.68 billion from the previous US aid package was allocated for neutral and needs-based humanitarian operations in 18 crises, with the aim of reaching more than 22 million people.

Fletcher said the UN had halved the usual allocation time to speed up the delivery of aid, with more than 90 percent of funds going to people facing the worst humanitarian conditions.

The US President Donald Trump's administration has withdrawn billions of dollars in foreign aid, forcing UN agencies to cut budgets, reduce humanitarian programs, and eliminate thousands of jobs.

Several other major UN donors, including Britain, France, Germany and Japan, have also cut their aid funding.

"We found that when the UN does what it does best, which is deliver humanitarian assistance in remote and difficult locations, on a large scale with reliable and affordable supply chains, the UN can and does succeed," Waltz said.

"Only when the organization deviates from its core mission, does its performance tend to be not as good as it should be," he said.

Waltz also rejected accusations that the US had "abandoned" humanitarian leadership, calling them "completely untrue".

Despite the latest humanitarian pledge, the US has not contributed to the UN's regular budget in 2025.

Washington owes about $2 billion in the organization's regular budget and another $2.2 billion for peacekeeping operations.