Norwegian Refugee Council Suspends Aid Projects Due to Frozen Payments
Oslo, February 26 (Hibya) - The Norwegian Refugee Council announced that it will halt life-saving activities in 21 countries unless the United States unfreezes development aid payments approved by the U.S. Agency for International Development.
UNHCR states that unpaid payments for completed or ongoing projects amount to twenty million US dollars.
U.S. President Donald Trump issued an executive order in January after taking office, freezing payments and shutting down the U.S. Agency for International Development.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that exceptions would be made for vital projects, but the Refugee Council says the payments have not been approved and that the ministry has not contacted them.
Nearly 20% of UNHCR's funding in 2024 came from the United States, and U.S.-funded projects reached more than 1.6 billion people in the same year.
Among the projects the Norwegian Refugee Council is set to complete are food aid to Sudan and a project providing clean water to residents in Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Albania News Agency
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