The current suspension of United States governmental funds for nongovernmental relief efforts has stopped the distribution of aid in its tracks as organizations grapple with sudden cuts to their funding.
CNEWA does not receive funding from the United States government, so it will not be directly affected by the suspension of aid, but its regional directors have expressed concern as they anticipate an influx of requests for support. Many of CNEWA’s partners have faced the immediate consequences of the funding freeze — including Catholic Relief Services (C.R.S.), Jesuit Refugee Service (J.R.S.) and Malteser International Americas — and have faced significant cuts to both programming and staffing in the immediate days following the suspension.
Argaw Fantu, CNEWA’s regional director for Ethiopia, spoke with the head of the Eparchy of Adigrat’s Social Development Coordination Office, Father Abraha Hagos, about the impact of the suspension of aid.
“He mentioned that due to this suspension, two large projects for emergency humanitarian response solely supported through C.R.S.-Ethiopia are now suspended for 90 days. The projects are closed. They don’t know what to do next.”
Mr. Fantu also received reports from J.R.S.-Ethiopia’s country director, Solomon Bizualem Brhane, who said: “We were providing holistic child protection for unaccompanied and separated children and other vulnerable children, as well as refugees and hosts with mental health problems. These services have been suspended since 27 January 2025. The suspension of the project affects 4,549 [3,080 of whom are refugees] people.”
Ra’ed Bahou, regional director for CNEWA-Pontifical Mission in Jordan and Iraq, shared a particular concern for what this suspension will mean for Jordan’s refugee population, who make up more than half of the kingdom’s 11 million people.
“Jordan hosts over 1.3 million Syrian refugees, many relying on UNHCR, World Food Program (W.F.P.) and local NGOs funded by USAID,” he said. “The WFP, which provides food aid to 465,000 refugees, risks severe cuts or suspension of assistance.”
Pointing to the disruption of help among organizations like C.R.S., J.R.S. and W.F.P., Mr. Bahou expressed that CNEWA-Pontifical Mission’s local partners will likely “request additional financial assistance” from the agency.
According to a 10 February report issued by the U.S. Office of Inspector General and citing USAID staff, $489 million worth of food aid, now stuck in ports, transit and warehouses, is at risk of spoilage. An additional 500,000 metric tons of food funded through Title II Food for Peace (F.F.P.) and Commodity Credit Corporation were also halted across various stages of distribution.
Shortages of food and other humanitarian aid are of particular concern to CNEWA’s programs in Gaza, where the humanitarian situation was already precarious.
“USAID has been a major source of humanitarian aid, providing essential services such as health care, education and food security. The cessation of this aid has exacerbated the already dire humanitarian situation in Gaza, where the population faces high levels of poverty, unemployment and inadequate infrastructure,” reported Joseph Hazboun, CNEWA-Pontifical Mission’s regional director for Palestine and Israel.
Mr. Hazboun is also concerned about the impact the suspension will have on long-term development projects aimed at helping Gaza to rebuild and recover: “USAID has been involved in long-term development projects aimed at building infrastructure, improving governance and fostering economic development. The halt in funding disrupts these initiatives, potentially setting back development efforts by years and making future recovery more challenging.”
Lebanon, which has faced socioeconomic and governmental crises for more than five years, shares similar concerns about the effect of this suspension on public administration.
“The Ministry of Interior and the Ministry of Education were directly affected as some of their employees had their salaries subsidized by USAID funds to monitor projects dedicated to developing and improving the public schools in Lebanon. And now everything suddenly stopped,” said Michel Constantin, CNEWA-Pontifical Mission’s regional director for Lebanon, Syria and Egypt, based in Beirut.
The country has been in a state of limbo amid the Israel-Hezbollah war and ongoing domestic challenges, but was on the path toward recovery. In January, General Joseph Aoun was sworn in as Lebanon’s president, ending a two-year vacancy. “It gave a new ray of hope in fighting corruption, building a modern state, and re-establishing the presence of Lebanon on the international map after years of isolation,” said Mr. Constantin at the time of the election.
However, the pause of U.S.-government funding will have an enormous impact on Lebanon’s ability to provide social services and emergency assistance, placing increased pressure on the country’s new administration.
In 2023 and 2024, USAID disbursed $123 million to affiliated nongovernmental organizations “representing around 22 percent of all funds of NGOs in Lebanon working in education, health entrepreneurship and developmental programs,” said Mr. Constantin. The U.S. governmental agency also allocated an additional $128 million as emergency aid for families displaced by the war from the south and the Bekaa valley. Another $144 million from USAID was previously announced for 2025, but it is unclear what will come of this funding.
Georgia, as with Lebanon, is in a fragile sociopolitical state. The country passed a controversial “foreign agent” law in May 2024 requiring organizations, activist groups and media outlets that receive more than 20 percent of funding from abroad to register with the government as “agents of foreign influence.” The law resulted in sweeping demonstrations in Tbilisi and raised concerns among NGOs that their ability to provide services to the country’s most vulnerable would be hindered.
Anahit Mkhoyan, director of Caritas Georgia, CNEWA’s primary partner in Georgia, was one of such voices to raise concern. The suspension of U.S. government aid, coupled with the reduction in other foreign aid because of Georgian legislation “has created a domino effect, leaving more vulnerable communities without essential support and increasing the pressure on our already stretched resources,” she said. “If this situation persists or worsens, we anticipate that more partners will turn to us for support to fill the gaps left by these funding cuts.”
“Unfortunately, we are still grappling with unresolved political challenges, and now we must navigate this additional constraint,” she added.