Leaders from various humanitarian organizations were interviewed in a March 11, 2025, news article in the French publication LEDEVOIR about the recent cuts that have been made to humanitarian aid in the United States. A previous news article (March 10) reported that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio had announced 83% of USAID programs would be cut. Prior to these budget cuts, the US financed 40% of the global budget for humanitarian aid.
One of the key leaders interviewed to offer their perspective was Anne Delorme, Humanity & Inclusion (HI) Canada’s executive director. One of EDID-GHDI’s partners, HI Canada offers support to people with disabilities in 60 different countries. HI is also one of the many humanitarian organizations that will be impacted by these major budget cuts.
Anne Delorme suggested they may have been targeted because of the term “inclusion” in the organization’s title. HI was receiving 30 million dollars, and cuts will impact 20% of the activities the organization is involved with. As stated by Delorme, “We have made significant layoffs. In Colombia, Bangladesh and some African countries, such as Rwanda, we expect that between 500 and 800 local staff members will be laid off. The saddest part is the impact of these cuts on the communities that need care.”
Please see the original news article, « Des coupes américaines en aide humanitaire qui font mal jusqu’ici » (available in French only).