Trump's aid freeze 'war on development', rights groups say

Leading reproductive and LGBTQI rights groups on Monday slammed US President Donald Trump's administration for wielding a "deadly political weapon" with its temporary freeze of most of Washington's foreign assistance.

Shortly after his inauguration last month, Trump signed an executive order implementing a 90-day pause in US foreign development aid.

His administration later issued waivers for food and other humanitarian aid, but aid workers say that the impact is already being felt by some of the world's most vulnerable.

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"This is a war on development," the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association (ILGA World) and International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) said in a joint statement.

They warned that the executive order was "wreaking havoc on the lifesaving work of human rights, civil society, and grassroots organisations".

The organisations pointed out that United Nations agencies had already begun cutting back their global aid operations as a direct consequence of the pause.

They highlighted that, in particular, sexual and reproductive health services had been forced to suddenly stop or drastically cut operations.

IPPF said that it alone expected to lose $61 million from cuts over its refusal to sign the so-called Mexico City Policy -- known by critics as the "global gag rule" -- which bars foreign NGOs from using American aid to support abortion services or advocacy.

The programmes affected provided sexual and reproductive health services for millions of women and young people, mainly in Africa, it said.

"Without guaranteed funding, implementing organisations will have no choice but to lay off thousands of health workers and programme staff," they warned.

And even if funds are reinstated following the 90-day period "there are no guarantees that organisations will be able to continue serving our communities", they said.

The United States, the globe's biggest foreign aid donor, is now "choosing to leave behind the already most marginalised people across the world, in the name of far-right regressive policies", ILGA World and IPPF said.

"People will die because the Trump administration is using life-saving funding as leverage to advance a hateful dystopia."

The groups cautioned that "this devastating blow to foreign aid risks worsening humanitarian crises, violence, conflict, and political instability".

They vowed to "continue to fight" and called on "more states to step in with development aid" and provide communities "with a lifeline".