Pio Smith, the director of the Asia and Pacific division at the United Nations Population Fund, states that the suspension of U.S. financial aid will deprive millions of Afghans of access to health and reproductive services.
Smith has indicated that if this situation continues over the next three years, it will result in the deaths of more than a thousand mothers due to childbirth in Afghanistan.
Last month, U.S. President Donald Trump issued an order to halt foreign aid for 90 days. This decision has raised concerns among humanitarian organizations worldwide that depend on U.S. funding.
Although the Trump administration later issued exemptions for food aid and other urgent humanitarian assistance, aid workers say the impact of this action is already being felt by some of the most vulnerable people in the world.
The director of the Asia and Pacific division at the United Nations Population Fund emphasized that over 9 million people in Afghanistan and more than 1.2 million Afghan refugees and migrants in Pakistan will lose access to healthcare services due to the closure of health centers.
He added that Afghanistan has one of the highest maternal mortality rates due to childbirth in the world, with a mother dying every two hours from preventable pregnancy-related complications.
He stated, “When our projects are not funded, women are forced to give birth alone and in unhygienic conditions. Newborns die from preventable causes. These individuals are truly the most vulnerable people in the world.”
He further noted, “If we only consider Afghanistan, between 2025 and 2028, we estimate that the lack of U.S. support will lead to 1,200 maternal deaths during childbirth and over 100,000 unintended pregnancies.”
Smith acknowledged that U.S. financial aid has prevented 3,800 deaths during pregnancy worldwide in 2023.
He added, “Just in our region, the United Nations Population Fund needs over $308 million this year to continue essential services in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan.”
Additionally, Riva Skinazi, director of public relations at the International Planned Parenthood Federation, told Reuters that this federation will also be forced to suspend family planning and sexual and reproductive health services in West Africa.
She said, “We will see an increase in unintended pregnancies and maternal deaths. The delivery of contraceptive supplies to our members will be hampered. This is a disaster.”
The International Planned Parenthood Federation, which consists of national organizations advocating for sexual and reproductive health, estimates that in 13 countries, primarily in Africa, it will have to forgo receiving at least $61 million in U.S. financial aid over the next four years.
