After the aid collapse: RFSU’s new report reveals the next steps in Trump's global offensive
In the shadow of Donald Trump's trade war, millions of lives are threatened by the President's dismantling of US foreign assistance. Today, RFSU releases a new report predicting further US attacks on development cooperation, gender equality and sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) - but also on the UN system and international law.
We are living in a new political reality. Billions in funding have disappeared overnight, and the consequences for people's lives and health are hard to comprehend. Collectively, we must continue to defend SRHR, gender equality and multilateralism, and no one should be left behind.
Trump has already done a lot of damage, but he's not done yet
The report 'From Harm to Hope: Advancing gender equality, SRHR and global alliances under the weight of US foreign policy' warns that the Trump administration plans to move forward with systematic attacks on UN agencies and international law. The US has already terminated 83 percent of all USAID projects, stopped funding life-saving sexual and reproductive health services, withdrawn from the World Health Organization (WHO) and rejoined the anti-abortion Geneva Consensus Declaration. So what’s next? The new report suggests:
- There will be an increased pressure on the UN system to eradicate its work on gender equality, SRHR and diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) - but there will also be increased attacks on multilateral cooperation and the UN system as a whole. In the first few months of this US administration, multiple attempts were made to prevent political declarations from passing by consensus, and there have been aggressive actions in the executive boards of key UN agencies and programmes.
- The US administration will not be content with rewiring only the US government’s official development assistance. If interested in US support, UN organs and Governments will have to comply with the new US America First foreign policy objectives as outlined in the executive orders. One of the biggest risks of these executive orders is their objective to shrink civic space in the Global South.
- Trump may also attempt to limit U.S. philanthropic funding to gender equality and SRHR. Philanthropic organisations play a tremendous role in direct service support and opening civic space and thought leadership. They are believed to have assets of over $900 billion.
How to resist - and how to move forward
RFSU's report provides a range of concrete recommendations that address immediate threats while also laying the groundwork for long-term transformation. As we move forward, RFSU believes the Swedish and European Governments can play a crucial role in:
- Mobilising a more harmonised response to fill critical financing and service gaps in the hardest-hit countries and communities, especially those highly dependent on US funding.
- Proactively working to dismantle the Geneva Consensus Declaration and counter the misuse of data and science in anti-rights agendas.
- Supporting civil society actors, including CSOs working for SRHR, LGBTQI+ and gender equality, to claim their rights and advocate prioritising domestic resources for gender equality, health and SRHR.
- Supporting the abandonment of the old aid rhetoric of goals and targets set in global centres (often in the North), towards approaches that are less fragmented and support country ownership by aligning assistance with country plans and budgets.
- Strong voices are needed to counterbalance Trump's policies, and it is vital that Sweden and other like-minded governments resolutely defend SRHR, gender equality and human rights,’ says Ingela Holmertz, Secretary General at RFSU
The report was written by global health and gender expert Malayah Harper on behalf of RFSU.
Download the report here: From Harm to Hope: Advancing gender equality, SRHR and global alliances under the weight of US foreign policy (pdf)