29 March - Earthquake response begins, Harvard yields, more loss of key vaccine experts
Under pressure Harvard's School of Public Health drops its association with Birzeit University in the West Bank and Harvard dismisses Leaders of its Middle East Studies Center
28 March - New foundation funding for nutrition, atrocities of war, predictions of 10 fold increase in AIDS related deaths.
27 March – UN agencies and UN staff continue to grapple with the impact of deepening funding cuts. Meanwhile, allegations of sexual violence by Israeli forces in Gaza grow, and Europe faces a troubling surge in measles cases, highlighting the fragility of global health systems amid compounding challenges.
As always, the weight of war, political shifts, and funding cuts is falling hardest on children. In Gaza, the situation is catastrophic, with dozens of children killed in a single day and no aid entering the territory for over three weeks. Meanwhile, broader development assistance is being scaled back across Europe, not due to Trump’s influence but internal recalibrations. In Asia, China is stepping in to fill gaps left by U.S. withdrawals, including key literacy and nutrition projects in Cambodia. At the same time, a UNICEF appeal highlights the fragile hope for Syria’s youth, stressing the urgency of investing in their future as the country emerges slowly from the trauma of war.
Europe Cutting Development Spending and Not Because of Trump
Children Among 62 Killed in Gaza in Past 24 Hours
Cambodia China steps in to take over literacy and nutrition projects halted by US
As Syria’s children step out of the shadows of war, securing their future is more critical than ever – UNICEF
No aid has reached Gaza for over 3 weeks
Progress in reducing child deaths and stillbirths at risk
25 March - The United Nations announced a drawdown of international personnel in Gaza due to escalating Israeli attacks. Meanwhile, the WHO and UNICEF warned that hard-won progress in reducing child deaths and stillbirths is under threat, citing systemic underinvestment and emerging global crises. These developments are further compounded by the broader impact of U.S. foreign aid cuts.
The deeper damage wrought by US Aid cuts
24 March - Following strike on UN guest houses in north Gaza ICRC office hit in south
23 March - The crisis facing Ukraine’s chronically ill children, who are battling life-threatening conditions amidst the chaos and disruption of war,
ReplyDeleteThose, on this blog, who are convinced that aid should continue along the lines of the past 50 years may wish to reflect on Africa and Sweden's taxpayers.
In 2024, Sweden spent roughly $ 5 billion on aid. With a population of about 11 million, it amounts to over $ 450 per person annually. Less than 4 million of the country's population are working and paying taxes, which means that the average worker pays more than $1,250 a year to aid.
Sweden has more or less provided this amont of aid, in today's money, for more than 50 years. Therefore, the average worker who retires in 2025 at the age of 65 and started working at the age of 18 has contributed nearly $ 60,000 to aid during his/her working life.
How do you explain to these now-retiring workers in Sweden that Africa, which has received most of their money, is relatively poorer today than they were 50 years ago and that extreme poverty is on the rise? Surely, that was not the plan. They may wish to know how their hard-earned money was used.
You need to convince the Swedish youngsters who start to work this year that they should also spend the equivalent of $ 60,000 during their working lives on aid. That will be dificult, many are foreign-born and more hardnosed and not as naive and gullible as the now retiring native Swedes.
It is long overdue to admit that aid over the past 50 years did not help Africa catch up. The aid industry failed both Africa and the taxpayers in the West. A radically different approach is called for.
These newly retired people could get ideas; they could imagine that USD 60,000 would be pretty handy.
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