U.S. Aid Cuts Hit U.N. Human Rights Projects Globally

The U.S. government has terminated five U.N. human rights projects, including aid for torture victims in Iraq, as part of a global aid spending reduction. This move affects programs in several countries, as the U.N. rights office strives to redeploy funding amidst global budget cuts.

The U.N. human rights office announced on Tuesday that it has received termination notices from the U.S. government affecting five projects, forcing the shutdown of some programs, including aid for torture victims in Iraq.

Under President Donald Trump's administration, billions of dollars in foreign aid programs are being cut in a major spending overhaul by the world's largest aid donor, with specific global impacts now unfolding.

U.N. human rights spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani noted that terminated projects included efforts in Equatorial Guinea, Iraq, Ukraine, and Colombia, as well as a fund for indigenous peoples, previously financed by the U.S. Agency for International Development and the U.S. State Department. As a result, the U.N. rights office faces significant challenges in maintaining its work on human rights protection around the world.

Washington, which was the primary donor to the U.N. human rights office, had contributed nearly 14% of its budget last year. With these cuts, High Commissioner Volker Turk is urging increased investments in human rights, stressing their role in preventing and resolving crises.

(With inputs from agencies.)