Geneva, Switzerland – US funding cuts in foreign aid are causing a “lot of confusion” on the ground despite a waiver being placed on HIV/AIDS programs, UNAIDS said on Friday.
“There is a lot of confusion especially on the community level. Community delivery of medication of transport services, community health workers, all of these services are currently still impacted”, Christine Stegling, deputy executive director of UNAIDS, told reporters in Geneva.
US President Donald Trump put hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of foreign aid donations on hold for 90 days, upon taking office on January 20.
In the following days, the US State Department issued a waiver on the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) – the world’s leading HIV initiative – for life-saving humanitarian assistance.
While welcoming the waiver, Stegling stressed the situation remains chaotic.
“In Ethiopia, we have 5000 public health worker contracts that are funded by U.S. assistance. And all of these have been terminated” said Stegling.
US donations account for the majority of funding for the UN program that operates in 70 countries, leading global efforts to end AIDS as a public health threat by 2030.
