The United States agency of international development freezes the funding of Bangladesh for 90 days. The decision was made under the supervision of Donald Trump. Donald Trump emphasized that the US should shut down aid for many countries, including Bangladesh.
Healthcare programs in Bangladesh:
According to reports this decision will affect healthcare programs in Bangladesh. According to reports emergency programs and disease tracking will also get effect due to delay in aid.
Education sector in Bangladesh:
According to reports the decision will affect aid for the education sector. Many education programs will face delay including establishment of new schools, free education for underprivileged people and many more programs will face delay.
Food Security challenges:
Many food security programs will face massive delays and it will risk the mental health of many people. Many food programs depend on the aid coming from the US and after the delay of 90 days the programs will almost face a temporary ban which will risk the employment opportunity for many people as the majority of the people depend on the US aid.
Economy and governance:
The economy of Bangladesh also depends on US aid. Good governance initiatives including decrease in inflation, economic opportunities and many more depend on the aid from the United States of America.
Continuation of Aid:
The continuation of aid will be for two countries including Egypt and Israel. Both Egypt and Israel will get military assistance from the US to continue their military programs and more. On the other hand the humanitarian aid for Sudan and Syria will also be unaffected.
US economy and other projects:
The US emphasised on focusing on its own economy therefore they are shutting down the aid for Bangladesh. The US wants to increase the projects that focus its own interests and help the US economy to boost. On the other hand, the temporary ban will increase job opportunities in the US and also will increase investors’ trust in their own country.
US aid to Bangladesh:
The US has provided almost 8 billion dollars to Bangladesh in past history for many programs and interests including:
● Health care projects
● Job opportunities in the Bangladesh
● Help the economy of Bangladesh to grow without relying on aid
● Increase investors confidence and better education opportunities
● To build a good image of the government through the economy and to win the trust of Bengali people.
Loss in Jobs A new story:
Many NGO workers in Bangladesh lost their jobs due to a decrease in funding. According to analysts almost 20 thousand people in Bangladesh will lose jobs due to decrease in funding from the United States. The decrease in funding will also risk many healthcare projects and will risk the health of many people. Many predictions are coming that people working in other projects and private businesses owners will also get affected due to these policies of the US government.
Commitments of the funding:
In September 2024 US emphasised to give additional 202 million dollars to enhance good governance in Bangladesh. The amount was set on 2021 meetings where a 954 million package was announced for Bangladesh to support the programs of Bangladesh. The package is set to fulfill by time frame till 2026. The delay in aid will affect many projects in Bangladesh including future development projects in Bangladesh. It will also affect bilateral relations of the Bangladesh and also will lead to a drop in country’s economy.
Donald trump interests in helping US economy:
Many development projects will take effect due to the decision of Donald Trump. In an estimate projects worth of 700 million dollars will get effect. The aid will affect 55 out of 59 development projects in the country. The USAID directed its implementing partners to cease all the work funded by the agency and to wait for further notice by the US government on aid projects for Bangladesh.
Conclusion:
The continuation of aid for Egypt and Israel shows how strong strategic relations of the US are with these countries. On the other hand experts are predicting the aid from US will decrease for countries like Bangladesh due to own interest of US and also to boost economy of the US. The delay in projects shows the US government ‘s own benefits and also raises serious concerns for Bangladesh as it can result in inflation in the country.
