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cover of episode USAID: Can the world live without it?

USAID: Can the world live without it?

2025/2/5
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What in the World
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Anselm Gibbs
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Hilde Deman
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Makuwachi Okafor
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Natalia Jiménez
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Oruhu Kenyatta
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William Lee Adams
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William Lee Adams: 特朗普总统下令关闭美国国际开发署(USAID)对全球各地的人们产生了影响。我主要介绍了USAID的职能以及特朗普政府关闭它的原因。USAID是美国政府主要的海外援助机构,也是世界上最大的捐助者。特朗普和马斯克想要关闭USAID,目前所有海外任务将被关闭,所有员工将被召回。关闭USAID可能会对全球产生广泛的影响。 Natalia Jiménez: 美国国际开发署(USAID)是美国政府向其他国家提供对外援助的主要方式,于1961年在肯尼迪总统领导下成立。我的主要观点是,USAID的援助范围广泛,从灾难救援到长期项目,同时也是美国重要的外交政策工具。特朗普一直不喜欢对外援助,认为这是向其他国家提供大量资金的ATM,而这些国家并没有给美国带来多少回报。特朗普政府计划将USAID的重点转向贸易协议、安全伙伴关系以及对符合其政策的国家的援助。关闭USAID可能会削弱美国在全球的影响力,因为如果美国退出,其全球竞争对手将很乐意介入。

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Chapters
The podcast explores the far-reaching consequences of a potential USAID shutdown, highlighting its significant role in global health, disaster relief, and development initiatives. Experts discuss the impact on various regions, from sub-Saharan Africa to the Caribbean, emphasizing the potential for widespread suffering and instability.
  • USAID's shutdown leads to the abandonment of medical supplies, halting of malaria prevention efforts, and loss of access to contraceptives.
  • The halt of aid threatens food programs, water and sanitation schemes, and medical research projects.
  • The impact is multi-layered, affecting humanitarian efforts, health outcomes, and economic development.

Shownotes Transcript

The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) is under fire. It is the world’s biggest donor and spends billions of dollars a year, funding programmes around the world, like fighting malaria in Bangladesh, clearing unexploded landmines in Cambodia and Laos and providing medical supplies in Sudan.

But President Trump says it is run by “radical lunatics” and he and billionaire Elon Musk, who’s got the job of trying to slash American government spending, want to shut it down. They have paused almost all international spending for 90 days and issued “stop work” orders to their staff. BBC journalist Nathalia Jimenez tells us what USAID does - and why the Trump administration wants to close it.

A large proportion of USAID funding goes towards healthcare and HIV medication in sub-Saharan Africa. Makuochi Okafor, the BBC’s Africa Health correspondent tells us what impact closing USAID could have in this region.

Anselm Gibbs, a BBC reporter based in Trinidad and Tobago, tells us about programmes USAID funds in the Caribbean. And Hilde Deman from Search for Common Ground, an international NGO that uses USAID funding in countries affected by violent conflict, talks about the impact to their work in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld Email: [email protected] WhatsApp: +44 0330 12 33 22 6 Presenter: William Lee Adams Producers: Benita Barden and Julia Ross-Roy Editor: Rosanna La Falce