By September 30, the USA will close all USAID offices abroad

The United States will close all offices of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) abroad by September 30, as a result of a sharp restructuring of the remaining operations related to U.S. foreign aid. This was reported by BELTA, citing The Guardian newspaper.

According to the newspaper, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio ordered the abolition of the entire international staff of the agency, transferring control over foreign assistance programs directly to the State Department.

The directive affects hundreds of USAID employees worldwide, including diplomatic staff, contractors, and personnel in more than 100 countries.

In early February, the American administration virtually blocked the work of USAID, which allocated significant funds to support international organizations. On March 10, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who temporarily led USAID, announced the completion of a government review, during which 83% of the agency’s programs were halted.

As an alternative, the U.S. State Department will establish a targeted fund, A1OF, with a budget of $2.9 billion. According to Rubio’s statement, this fund will respond promptly to emerging crises, establish close cooperation with key allies, facilitate repatriation activities, and counter strategic challenges posed by major adversaries.