US exit from maternal health funding ‘devastating’: UNFPA      

KABUL (Pajhwok): The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) chief says US policies under President Trump administration have a devastating impact on maternal health worldwide.

Following his return to the White House, President Donald Trump implemented controversial decisions to reduce or suspend US humanitarian aid.

These measures sparked serious concerns among aid agencies and vulnerable nations, as the United States had long been one of the world’s largest humanitarian donors.

UNFPA Executive Director Natalia Kanem told AFP on Tuesday that the fund — already grappling with financial challenges — was not spared from Trump’s decisions.

“In a single night, we were forced to shut down projects worth more than $330 million in some of the world’s most fragile regions, including Afghanistan,” she said.

Kanem described the US withdrawal from maternal health funding as “devastating.”

She pointed to the Zaatari refugee camp in Jordan as an example, where over the years more than 18,000 pregnancies were delivered by “heroic midwives” who “conducted these over 18,000 deliveries without a single maternal death, something extraordinary in a crisis situation.

Although it will take time to assess the full consequences of the US aid cuts, Kanem warned the move is likely to increase maternal mortality and lead to a rise in unwanted pregnancies.

She added that unlike previous funding challenges, this time other partner organisations that might have stepped in are also severely affected by aid suspensions.

kk/ma