A special discussion session for SIDA members
On 20th January, the new US Administration made radical cuts to the budget and operation of USAID. The impacts were immediate, global, and in many cases devastating.
Around the world, the operations of NGOs – including many partners of SIDA members – have been dramatically reshaped or withdrawn.
Join us for a special discussion to hear from affected organisations, share your own experiences, discuss how agencies can support each other, and consider opportunities for collective response and adaptation.
Please note the event is strictly for SIDA members and will be held under the Chatham House Rule: “When a meeting, or part thereof, is held under the Chatham House Rule, participants are free to use the information received, but neither the identity nor the affiliation of the speaker(s), nor that of any other participant, may be revealed.”
Post-event summary
The discussion came as the Lancet published a new analysis of the health and mortality impacts of the cuts, estimating they could lead to up to 14 million otherwise preventable deaths around the world. A number of academics in Scotland have also been analysing the impact of the cuts, including Prof Liz Grant at the University of Edinburgh and Professor Bernhard Reinsberg, Dr Cecilia Corsini, and Dr Giuseppe Zaccaria at the University of Edinburgh, who published a blog piece ‘Cooperation in Crisis‘, on the Centre for Public Policy.
Alongside the immediate impacts on health, and access to nutrition, other long- and short-term consequences discussed included the ripple-effect of unemployment from the closure of programmes, the likelihood of further population displacement and migration, and the closure of civil society space and capacity to campaign for change. There was also discussion on the need for new and innovative forms of finance for development, and the reform or cancellation of vast debts owed by countries in the Global South to private institutions and governments in wealthy countries.