The United States has pledged $2bn in humanitarian assistance to tens of millions of people facing hunger and disease in more than a dozen countries next year, part of a new mechanism for delivering life-saving aid following major cuts by the Trump administration.
The funding will be overseen by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs under what the US State Department described as a new model agreed with the UN, aimed at making aid funding and delivery more efficient and increasing accountability.
UN data shows total US humanitarian contributions fell to about $3.38bn in 2025, down sharply from $14.1bn the prior year and a peak of $17.2bn in 2022. The US and UN will sign 17 memorandums of understanding with priority countries.
However, areas such as Yemen, Afghanistan and Gaza will not receive funding under this mechanism, UN aid chief Tom Fletcher said. Gaza will be handled on a separate track, with the US having approved over $300m after the ceasefire deal was brokered.
Countries covered include Ukraine, Democratic Republic of Congo, Nigeria and Sudan, according to a UN spokesperson. The focus is on life-saving assistance, with climate-related and other non-priority projects cut.
Fletcher said the pledge would save millions of lives across 17 countries, despite a tough year for the UN following a slew of cuts while humanitarian crises surged.
