World has entered ‘age of impunity’ amid global aid cuts, Miliband says
Extensive cuts to global aid have left the world with “more shocks, fewer shock absorbers,” the International Rescue Committee president said.
International Rescue Committee President David Miliband has warned that the world has entered an "age of impunity" due to global aid cuts by the US and other wealthy nations. At Semafor's The Next 3 Billion conference in New York, Miliband stated that the cuts have led to more crises and fewer ways to mitigate their impact. According to a Boston University study, 700,000 people have died in the past 18 months as a result of these cuts, and 300 million are currently facing hunger due to overlapping crises such as Ebola and ongoing wars.
Miliband emphasized that the death toll of civilians in conflict zones around the world indicates a lack of accountability, describing this as an "age of impunity." He cited the US-Iran war as a significant factor, noting that it has exacerbated humanitarian needs worldwide, pushing an additional 45 million people into food scarcity.
The disruption of fertilizer supplies caused by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz has led to critical shortages and soaring costs for farmers. Miliband criticized the IRC for shrinking its workforce from 18,000 to 12,000 employees, with operating revenues decreasing from $1.5 billion to $1.1 billion due to the aid cuts. The organization is now focusing on innovation and cost efficiency, exploring the potential of AI to improve aid interventions, such as using large language models to diagnose Mpox in the Democratic Republic of Congo from photographs of lesions with 98% accuracy.
Written by urgent.news from Semafor's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
