The stop-work order by USAID has triggered an earthquake in the humanitarian and development sectors. Accordingly, on the 25th of January at VSF-Suisse we carried out a risk analysis and initiated immediate measures. Directly funded by USAID and affected with immediate effect by the stop-work order are two projects of VSF-Suisse: a drought emergency response in Ethiopia and a One Health consultancy mandate in several countries in Sub-Saharan Africa. Project activities had to be suspended, some project staff members had to be given notice, and when and how significant pre-financed costs will be reimbursed by USAID remains unclear. It is the projects participants in the communities that are hit most by the abrupt stop, but at VSF-Suisse we commit to find solutions to finish what we started and leave no one behind.
Thanks to a diversified donor portfolio we can absorb the first shockwave that goes through the humanitarian sector, but we also expect indirect impacts of the developments around USAID. As an expert organization, VSF-Suisse implements several mandates for UN agencies such as the World Food Programme, Food and Agriculture Organization, and the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. While we immediately liaised with representatives from these agencies and could exclude possible negative consequences for ongoing projects, we fear that without US funding these organizations have even less resources to meet the humanitarian needs in fragile contexts. The stop-work order of USAID combined with funding cuts by several European countries, including Switzerland, will result in further widening the gap between humanitarian needs and resources.
In difficult times, VSF-Suisse is more than ever dedicated to its mission to improve the wellbeing and resilience of vulnerable populations by promoting the health and productivity of their livestock within a healthy environment. In the rapid changing environment that we encounter right now, we must prove that as VSF-Suisse we are indeed agile, efficient, innovative and worth the trust of communities and partners.
