US pledges $2bn for humanitarian aid, but tells UN 'adapt or die'

The United States has pledged $2 billion (£1.5bn) to fund United Nations (UN) humanitarian programmes, but has warned the UN it must "adapt or die".

The announcement was made in Geneva by Jeremy Lewin, President Trump's Under Secretary for Foreign Assistance, and the UN's emergency relief chief, Tom Fletcher.

It comes amid huge cuts in US funding for humanitarian operations, and further cuts expected from other donors, such as the UK and Germany.

Mr Fletcher welcomed the new funds, saying they would save "millions of lives". But $2 billion is just a fraction of what the US has traditionally spent on aid. In 2022 its contribution to the UN's humanitarian work was estimated at $17 billion (£12.6bn).

And the funding comes with some strings attached. Although UN donors do sometimes earmark specific projects, the UN funding prioritises just 17 countries, among them Haiti, Syria, and Sudan.