The Real World Consequences of Cuts to USAID Programs
Earlier this year, the Trump Administration terminated over 6,000 grants as it rapidly dismantled the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), before any meaningful review of the programs could take place. When critical scientific funding is cut abruptly, the consequences are serious. It not only halts the work of research centers and the scientists leading these efforts; it also puts at risk local and Indigenous communities already facing serious challenges and impacts.
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health’s Global Health NOW featured four reports on the immediate effects of USAID program terminations across the globe, including its abrupt withdrawal of funding for the Center for Amazonian Scientific Innovation (CINCIA), where our colleagues are working to limit illegal gold mining and its impacts on the environment and human health in the Peruvian Amazon.
CINCIA’s work in Peru is essential not just for its support of the local communities and restoration of one of our planet’s most critical ecosystems. Illegal gold mining is linked directly to illicit activities like drug and wildlife trafficking, which help to fund global organized crime. So tackling illegal gold mining in the Peruvian Amazon is an essential component of addressing global security threats.
“Taking money off the table will slow the fight against transnational organized crime. And with the price of gold above $3,000 an ounce—it is basically like throwing gasoline on an already hot fire.”
Luis Fernández, Sabin Center Senior Fellow and Executive Director of CINCIA
Read More in Global Health NOW.
Header image credit: Ernesto Benavides/AFP via Getty, via Global Health NOW.