The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) has announced it will suspend humanitarian operations in nearly 20 countries after U.S. President Donald Trump froze foreign aid worldwide upon taking office on January 20.
The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), a leading international aid organisation, said on Monday that it was forced to suspend its global operations due to the Trump administration’s decision to halt U.S. foreign aid.
The NRC, which received nearly $150 million in 2024 from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID)—accounting for almost 20% of its budget—warned that the move will have severe consequences for vulnerable populations worldwide.
"We have, in our 79-year history, never experienced such an abrupt discontinuation of aid funding from any of our many donor nations, inter-governmental organisations, or private donor agencies," the NRC said in a statement.
The organisation has already been forced to halt emergency assistance in Ukraine, cancelling planned February aid deliveries for 57,000 people near the front lines. The funding freeze has also resulted in widespread layoffs among NRC staff.
The Trump administration last Monday announced it would put on leave all directly hired USAID employees and recall thousands of personnel working overseas.
On Wednesday, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that the administration was reviewing which programmes could be exempted from the stop-work orders. However, the NRC said it cannot resume operations without immediate payments for work already completed.
"We currently have millions of dollars in outstanding payment requests to the U.S. government. Without an immediate solution, we may, at the end of February, be forced to halt U.S.-funded lifesaving humanitarian programmes," the NRC stated.
The widespread suspension of aid programmes comes as humanitarian agencies warn of worsening crises in conflict zones. Without restored funding, millions of people reliant on U.S.-backed aid face severe disruptions in food, water, and medical support.
Türkiye’s largest technology festival, TEKNOFEST 2025, opened in İstanbul on Wednesday. The five-day event is organised by the Türkiye Technology...
The Federal Reserve on Wednesday reduced its benchmark interest rate by a quarter point to a range of 4–4.25%, responding to slowing economic growth...
The European Commission has proposed sanctions against several Israeli Cabinet ministers and violent settlers, alongside a partial suspension of Israe...
AD Ports Group has signed a contract with Baku Shipyard in Azerbaijan to build two 780-TEU shallow-draft container vessels for trade across the Caspia...
The United Nations will give low-income countries more money to help them attend COP30, the global climate summit set to take place in Brazil this Nov...
Türkiye’s largest technology festival, TEKNOFEST 2025, opened in İstanbul on Wednesday. The five-day event is organised by the Türkiye Technology Team (T3) Foundation in cooperation with the Ministry of Industry and Technology.
The Federal Reserve on Wednesday reduced its benchmark interest rate by a quarter point to a range of 4–4.25%, responding to slowing economic growth and persistently high inflation.
The European Commission has proposed sanctions against several Israeli Cabinet ministers and violent settlers, alongside a partial suspension of Israel’s trade privileges with the bloc.
AD Ports Group has signed a contract with Baku Shipyard in Azerbaijan to build two 780-TEU shallow-draft container vessels for trade across the Caspian Sea.
AnewZ has learned that India has once again blocked Azerbaijan’s application for full membership in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, while Pakistan’s recent decision to consider diplomatic relations with Armenia has been coordinated with Baku as part of Azerbaijan’s peace agenda.
A day of mourning has been declared in Portugal to pay respect to victims who lost their lives in the Lisbon Funicular crash which happened on Wednesday evening.
A Polish Air Force pilot was killed on Thursday when an F-16 fighter jet crashed during a training flight ahead of the 2025 Radom International Air Show.
At least eight people have died and more than 90 others were injured following a catastrophic gas tanker explosion on a major highway in Mexico City’s Iztapalapa district on Wednesday, authorities confirmed.
Chinese President Xi Jinping and U.S. President Donald Trump are expected to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit next month in South Korea.
Saudi Arabia and Pakistan have formalised a mutual defence agreement, reinforcing a decades-long security partnership, Pakistani state television reported on Wednesday.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on Wednesday that Russia bears responsibility for damage to a house in the village of Wyryki in eastern Poland. This statement comes amid media reports suggesting that the incident may have been caused by a stray Polish missile rather than a Russian drone.
The Federal Reserve on Wednesday reduced its benchmark interest rate by a quarter point to a range of 4–4.25%, responding to slowing economic growth and persistently high inflation.
The European Commission has proposed sanctions against several Israeli Cabinet ministers and violent settlers, alongside a partial suspension of Israel’s trade privileges with the bloc.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment