UN chief urges U.S. to exempt critical aid from assistance pause

Handout photo from Lebanon's presidential press office shows UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres delivering a statement after meeting Lebanon's new president at the Baabda presidential palace, east of Beirut, January 18, 2025. /CFP

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has urged the United States to exempt critical aid deliveries from its sweeping order to pause foreign assistance, his spokesman said on Monday.

Guterres "notes with concern" the announcement of the U.S. foreign assistance pause, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said in a statement.

The UN chief called for additional exemptions to ensure the continued delivery of critical development and humanitarian aid to vulnerable communities worldwide, whose lives and livelihoods depend on such support, Dujarric said.

Guterres expressed a willingness to engage with the new U.S. administration on providing much-needed development aid to people facing significant challenges in the developing world, the spokesman added. "The United States is one of the largest aid providers, and it is vital that we work constructively to jointly shape a strategic path forward."

On Friday, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio ordered a sweeping pause on most of the State Department's foreign aid grants. Effective immediately and valid for 90 days, Rubio's directive required staff to issue "stop-work orders" on nearly all "existing foreign assistance awards," according to media reports.

Source(s): Xinhua News Agency