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	Global tax reform is essential but not enough: African countries need domestic action now by PSI, Network of Unions for Tax Justice, agencies   June 2026   For decades, multinational companies have had the upper hand in deciding where profits are taxed, shifting them to low-tax jurisdictions regardless of where workers create value or where customers are located.   Many countries in the Global South have had limited ability to tax those profits, even as they face growing pressure to finance development through domestic revenues.   Workers worldwide have paid the price in underfunded public services and stagnant wages. Now, a narrow window for change has opened as the rules that govern corporate taxation are being renegotiated simultaneously at the OECD and the United Nations.   Why tax matters for workers   Corporate taxation directly affects wages, public services and economic security. At leasty $350 billion is lost globally, and more than 90 billion from Africa alone each year to corporate tax avoidance.   The impact is not evenly shared. Lower-income countries lose the equivalent of around 36% of their public health budgets, compared to around 7% in higher-income countries. When Multinational Corporations (MNCs) shift profits away from where value is created, the result is fewer services, lower public investment and slower wage growth.   For trade unions, these issues are central to workers’ interests and to driving transformation. The Network of Unions for Tax Justice (NUTJ), alongside global and national unions, works to advance corporate tax systems that reflect where value is created and strengthen public finances.   The global minimum tax: progress with limits   Existing international tax rules leave too much leeway to multinationals to book profits wherever rates are lowest, even when the actual business happens elsewhere.   The OECD’s 2021 global minimum tax (GMT) seeks to reduce the incentive for this kind of profit shifting by ensuring that large multinationals pay at least a minimum level of tax wherever they operate. If profits are taxed below that level in one country, additional tax can be applied elsewhere to reach the minimum.   The OECD’s GMT creates a queue for who gets to collect any additional tax. Due to fundamental flows in the design of the OECD reform, investment hubs and countries where multinational companies are headquartered are generally closer to the front, while countries which are not home to large multinationals but nonetheless record significant economic activity often find themselves further back.   By the time the queue reaches them, much of the additional tax may already have been collected elsewhere. This helps explain why many countries in the Global South receive only a small share, if at all, of the additional revenues generated by the GMT.   Where the system falls short   While the principle of a global minimum marks an important attempt to curb aggressive tax competition, the OECD rules still allow taxing rights to follow where MNCs declare their profits.   When profits are shifted to low-tax jurisdictions, countries where value is created have limited ability to tax them. The OECD rules do provide some scope for countries to strengthen their position through domestic measures, but the underlying problem remains.   A fairer and more effective design for a GMT would allocate the top-up tax everywhere value is created, in proportion to the multinational’s real economic activity.   Instead, the OECD design reflects the political imbalance behind the agreement, with countries hosting multinational headquarters better positioned to collect additional revenues.   While the GMT is expected to raise over EUR 150 billion in the long term, most gains accrue to higher-income countries. Even in more favourable scenarios, developing countries gain at most around half as much as richer economies, with more realistic estimates placing their share at negligible levels.   Recent developments have further weakened this limited progress. The OECD’s “side-by-side” agreement allows the United States, home to many of the largest and most profitable companies, to apply a different system from the one agreed under the GMT.   This permits blending across jurisdictions, meaning low-tax profits in one country can be offset by higher taxes elsewhere. The result is a special treatment for US multinationals that undermines the OECD GMT’s aim of establishing a firm country-by-country minimum and reopens space for the tax competition it was meant to curb.   Building on the global minimum tax   The limitations of the OECD GMT point to the need for complementary national domestic reforms. The Corporate Alternative Minimum Tax (CAMT), developed by trade unions and tax experts, starts from a simple principle: multinational companies should be taxed where real economic activity takes place, not where profits are declared.   It builds on the idea of a minimum tax while introducing a fairer way to determine where it is paid, allocating profits using observable factors such as sales and employment. These factors are harder to manipulate than internal pricing arrangements.   Evidence from firm-level data in Nigeria suggests that this approach could have a significant impact. The draft CAMT bill, developed using Nigeria as a model country, proposes a 25% minimum effective tax rate for large multinationals. Based on the data, revenues from in-scope companies could double or even triple.   The CAMT model sets out how other countries with similar legal and economic contexts, could adapt the legislation to their own systems. In that sense, the CAMT provides governments with a tool that can be tailored and implemented without waiting for global consensus.   Why this matters for African economies   For African countries, the gap between where profits are generated and taxed has immediate consequences. The continent loses an estimated $80-$90 billion each year to profit shifting and illicit financial flows, more than total foreign aid inflows, while facing a financing gap of around $200 billion annually to meet the SDGs.   Raising domestic revenue is central to development strategies across Africa, yet tax-to-GDP ratios remain low at around 15-16% over the last decade. With limited fiscal space, profit shifting directly reduces governments’ ability to invest in infrastructure, healthcare and education.   Nigeria illustrates these challenges clearly. Corporate income tax is a central pillar of public income, accounting for on average 44% of total government revenue over almost a decade. This level of dependence makes under-taxation of multinational profits especially costly, as its impact on public finances is disproportionate.   When such a large share of public revenue depends on corporate taxation, ensuring that MNCs are effectively taxed becomes essential.   Strengthening corporate taxation is therefore central to closing fiscal gaps, with tax revenues at around 6.5% of GDP on average, among the lowest globally and far from the 18-20% President Tinubu considers necessary to support development goals.   Nigeria’s 2025 tax reforms allow authorities to tax MNCs based on their economic activity in the country, even without a physical presence, and introduce a more formula-based way to determine taxable profits. Together, these changes shift the focus from where profits are declared to where economic activity takes place, aligning with the approach behind the CAMT.   In Ghana, upcoming reforms create a similar opportunity. The government is expected to review the income tax legislation in 2026. This provides a clear entry point for adapting elements of the CAMT framework within an ongoing reform process.   Acting now while global reform continues   International tax reform is moving, but it is not yet delivering the scale of change needed. The UN process offers a pathway toward a more inclusive system and deserves strong support, but governments cannot afford to wait while revenue losses continue.   This urgency was reflected at a roundtable in New York this year, supported by the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung, which brought together trade unions and government representatives from countries including Nigeria, Ghana and Kenya.   In Nigeria and Ghana, labour organisations are already advancing reforms such as the CAMT. If adopted, these measures could strengthen public revenues immediately while building momentum across the region. That snowball effect would not only help countries protect their tax bases, but also strengthen the case for more ambitious reforms in international negotiations.   Governments do not need to wait for a global agreement to act. The tools already exist, and delaying reform is itself a choice with consequences.   [1] One of the key features of the GMT is that it reduces the pressure on developing countries to offer overly generous tax incentives to retain foreign investment. Because multinational companies are now required to pay a minimum effective tax rate of 15% regardless of where they operate, the GMT gives countries in the Global South greater leverage to resist corporate pressure for very low tax rates. However, as far as the GMT is concerned domestic provisions must comply with detailed OECD design requirements and they only apply to profits reported in the jurisdiction.   http://tinyurl.com/y7vy3wyv http://taxjustice.net/2026/06/10/what-we-learned-from-three-years-of-conversations-on-poverty-beyond-growth/ http://taxjustice.net/all-latest-activity/ http://www.neep-poverty.org/roadmap-for-eradicating-poverty-beyond-growth/economic-systems-transformation/ Visit the related web page
	G20: Trade unions call for defence of democracy, rights and shared prosperity by ITUC, Oxfam America, agencies   May 2026   ILO Labor Treaty Should Protect All Gig Workers. (HRW, ITUC)   Gig workers around the world experience long hours, unpredictable and declining pay, and serious safety risks, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. Governments negotiating a landmark treaty under the International Labour Organization (ILO) on platform work in June 2026 should adopt strong, binding standards to ensure fair pay, safe working conditions, and access to social security for gig workers worldwide.   The multimedia report, “Algorithms of Exploitation: Rights Abuses in the Gig Economy and the Global Fight for Change,” documents the experiences of platform workers across nine countries, including India, Kenya, Kuwait, Lebanon, Mexico, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and the United Kingdom. Human Rights Watch found that workers across all countries studied face low and unstable earnings, unsafe working conditions, and little or no protection when they are injured or unable to work.   “Platform companies have built a business model that sidesteps labor protections and shifts risks and costs onto the workers,” said Lena Simet, senior economic justice advisor at Human Rights Watch. “The ILO negotiations are the first global effort to get governments to course correct and ensure that using this model does not come at the expense of workers’ rights.”   The ILO estimates that platform work nearly doubled between 2016 and 2021, while the World Bank estimates that up to 435 million people worldwide earn income through these labor platforms. Yet labor protections have not kept pace.   The convention under negotiation should address existing gaps in protection by including key guarantees for all platform workers, regardless of employment status, Human Rights Watch said.   Because platform companies routinely classify workers as independent contractors or self-employed, this in many countries excludes them from minimum wage, social security, and occupational safety guarantees.   Workers described long hours, unpredictable and declining pay, and serious safety risks, often without social security or support if an injury or illness left them unable to work.   By classifying gig workers as independent contractors, companies in many countries are able to avoid obligations for minimum wages, occupational safety, and social security.   At the same time, they exercise significant control over workers through algorithmic systems that determine pay, assign tasks, and can suspend workers often without transparency or effective recourse.   Human Rights Watch previously found that after expenses, many platform workers in the United States earn well below a living wage and the statutory minimum wage. Workers in other countries reported similar dynamics, with earnings often insufficient to meet everyday expenses. This exploitative model allows companies to capture a growing share of revenue while shifting costs onto workers, contributing to widening inequality in labor markets.   Human Rights Watch urges governments to adopt strong standards that:   Establish a presumption of employment for workers when companies exercise control over them, to prevent misclassification; Require fair pay, including compensation for all working time, and earnings that meet at least minimum wage or living wage standards; Guarantee access to social security for all workers, including in cases of injury, illness, unemployment, and older age.   Mandate algorithmic transparency from platform companies, including information for workers on how their pay is calculated, how tasks and jobs are priced and assigned, and how incentive programs work; Ensure accountability for platform companies, including accessible ways for workers to challenge automated decisions, including decisions to deactivate their accounts; Extend occupational health and safety protections to all platform workers and require the companies to adopt safeguards against extreme heat and other dangerous working conditions; and Guarantee workers’ rights to organize and bargain collectively without retaliation.   Human Rights Watch has contributed to the ILO process through submissions outlining rights-aligned approaches to regulating platform work, including proposals developed jointly with civil society organizations.   “The decisions governments make now will shape the future of work for millions of people,” Simet said. “They should ensure that platform work is governed by fair pay, safety, and social security, not exploitation.”   http://www.hrw.org/news/2026/05/13/ilo-labor-treaty-should-protect-all-gig-workers http://www.hrw.org/news/2026/06/17/gig-workers-in-china-need-more-than-promises http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2026/jun/18/ai-threatens-gig-work-rise http://www.ituc-csi.org/time-to-deliver-rights-for-all-platform-workers http://publicservices.international/resources/news/unions-secure-new-ilo-convention-on-decent-work-in-the-platform-economy?id=16589&lang=en http://www.ilo.org/resource/news/ilc/ilc114/international-labour-conference-ends-adoption-first-convention-decent-work http://www.ilo.org/resource/record-decisions/convention-concerning-decent-work-platform-economy-2026   Mar. 2026   G20: Trade unions call for defence of democracy, rights and shared prosperity   The Labour 20 (L20) group of unions has warned that the agenda emerging under the United States’ G20 Presidency risks increasing inequalities and undermining democracy and workers’ rights.   “The G20 must stand for a global economy that delivers decent jobs, social justice and shared prosperity. Any attempt to weaken democratic institutions or workers’ protections in favour of billionaires and big corporations will only deepen inequality, instability and undermine democracy.” - ITUC General Secretary Luc Triangle   “Right now, working people need their governments to tackle inequality, climate change and technological disruption – not fuel them with deregulation, fossil fuel expansion and unchecked corporate power,” added Veronica Nilsson, TUAC General Secretary.   The L20 launched its 2026 engagement with a gathering of trade union leaders in early February, and subsequently hosted an event to strengthen efforts to address inequalities, based on the outcomes of the G20 Global Inequality Report.   Under the theme: ‘Reducing inequalities, putting people at the centre of the G20’, it gathered trade unionists, members of the G20 Extraordinary Committee of Independent Experts on Global Inequality, the labour ministers of Brazil and Spain, and the South African G20 Sherpa, as well as the ILO and Civil Society Organisations (CSOs). The participants delivered a strong message on the crucial role of labour in tackling inequalities and the importance of advancing an International Panel on Inequality.   In its statement to G20 governments, the L20 – representing workers across the world’s largest economies – called on leaders to defend democracy, the international rule of law and to promote inclusive growth.   The labour movement cautioned that policies promoted under the US presidency - centred on deregulation, fossil fuel expansion and the interests of big tech corporations - threaten to deepen inequality and weaken democratic institutions.   The L20 emphasised that the G20 must promote:   A democratic, people-centred agenda capable of addressing the major challenges facing working people worldwide.   Rights-based regulation to protect workers, consumers and communities, and to ensure democratic accountability in markets.   A Just Transition to renewable energy that guarantees decent jobs and protects workers’ livelihoods while tackling climate change.   People-centred digitalisation, with strong rules on artificial intelligence and technology to protect jobs, rights, privacy and democracy.   Fair and living wages, strengthened collective bargaining and universal social protection.   Fair taxation, debt relief and stronger multilateral cooperation to reduce inequality and support sustainable development.   Investment in quality public services and education to ensure inclusive growth and prepare societies for the future of work.   The L20 also warned that sidelining engagement groups, including trade unions, and ignoring key issues such as employment, development, health and education weakens the G20’s ability to respond to global challenges.   President of the AFL-CIO Liz Shuler added: “The Trump administration began its second term by dismantling the key agencies that protected workers’ rights around the globe. Now, as the United States hosts the G20, it has taken almost all labor and employment issues off the agenda.   But the labor movement will not abandon our obligation to workers. The L20 will carry on this essential work: upholding the commitments G20 governments have made in previous years and building towards a stronger multilateral system that delivers for all working people.”   The G20 Leaders’ Summit is scheduled to take place in Miami on 14–15 December 2026.   * The Labour 20 – L20 - represents the interests of workers at the G20 level. It unites trade unions from G20 countries and Global Unions and is convened by the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) and Trade Union Advisory Committee (TUAC) to the OECD.   Apr. 2026   Rather than building on efforts to address inequality, the Trump administration’s agenda for the 2026 G20 presidency is to prioritize elite and corporate interests, writes Charlotte Friar from Oxfam America.   "In just a year, the wealth of the 10 richest U.S. billionaires increased by $698 billion dollars, while low-wage workers struggled as the Trump administration pushed an inequality-fueling agenda. Now, concerns are growing that the same policy choices — those driving a massive transfer of wealth to the richest — could be projected onto the global stage.   The United States recently assumed the presidency of the G20 — a major platform for heads of state and governments to address global economic issues. The presidency is a role that carries significant influence over global economic priorities.   There’s a real risk that the U.S. presidency could advance an economic agenda that prioritizes the interests of the wealthy while sidelining efforts to tackle inequality, strengthen fair taxation, and resolve deepening debt crises worldwide.   Instead of focusing the G20 on poverty alleviation, reducing inequality, or dealing with a pending global economic crisis, the U.S. government focus will center on removing regulatory burdens, unlocking energy supply chains, and pioneering new technologies and innovation. This marks a sharp departure from the 2025 theme of “Solidarity, Equality, and Sustainability” and signals a shift toward exporting the Trump administration’s domestic agenda to the global stage.   This all comes at a time when inequality is rising across most countries, and many low- and middle-income nations face mounting debt and stagnant growth.   U.S. officials are pitching a “back to the basics” approach — which in reality is a sidelining of issues such as inequality, poverty, labor, climate, and gender. It is also widely anticipated that the Trump administration will restrict avenues for civil society participation.   Current plans suggest a focus on the leaders’ summit and financial track, a reduction in working groups, and formal engagement limited to business stakeholders, excluding civil society organizations, women’s groups, labor unions, and youth representatives.   Even acknowledging that past G20 efforts on sustainable development have been uneven, this “back to the basics” approach risks abandoning critical priorities altogether.   Recent G20 presidencies led by Brazil and South Africa demonstrated a different trajectory, placing inequality and debt at the center of global discussions.   South Africa’s 2025 presidency elevated the urgency of inequality by commissioning the first-ever G20 report on the issue. Led by Professor Joseph Stiglitz, the report described a global “inequality emergency” and proposed the creation of an International Panel on Inequality to guide coordinated action.   Against this backdrop, the Trump administration’s domestic policies, including the 2025 One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), represent one of the largest upward transfers of wealth in decades, making it unlikely that current U.S. leadership will champion similar efforts internationally.   Progress on global tax cooperation is also under threat. Brazil’s 2024 presidency achieved a breakthrough agreement to cooperate on taxing high-net-worth individuals. While extreme wealth concentration has increased in recent years, research shows billionaires pay effective tax rates close to 0.3 percent of their wealth — well below what average workers contribute.   Yet in 2025, the Trump administration has already taken actions that undermine these efforts, including withdrawing from UN tax negotiations, pressuring other advanced economies to shield U.S. corporations from global tax agreements, and opposing measures such as digital services and carbon taxes.   Climate action presents another area of concern. G20 countries are responsible for approximately 80 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, yet many continue to fall short of their commitments. The U.S. administration’s withdrawal from the Paris Agreement and rollback of domestic climate policies reflect a broader retreat from climate leadership.   The Trump administration’s emphasis on expanding energy supply chains raises the possibility that fossil fuel development could be prioritized over clean energy transitions, particularly if multilateral development banks are encouraged to increase investments in oil and gas projects.   Taken together, these signals suggest that the 2026 U.S. G20 presidency could mark a significant retreat. Rather than building on recent efforts to address inequality, debt, and climate change, it may instead shift the forum toward a narrower agenda that prioritizes elite and corporate interests.   The direction ultimately taken will have far-reaching consequences, not only for the credibility of the G20 but for the future of global economic cooperation.   As the U.S. government so blatantly prioritizes wealthy interests, it is a critical moment for civil society to step forward — organizing and advancing an agenda that breaks decisively from the G20’s all-too-often emphasis on preserving the status quo.   Now is the time for people, institutions, and movements to unite and champion bold new forms of multilateral cooperation that serve billions, not billionaires.   http://www.ituc-csi.org/G20-L20-defence-of-democracy http://inequality.org/article/us-g20-for-billionaires http://www.oxfam.org/en/press-releases/top-ceo-pay-increased-20-times-faster-workers-pay-2025   Apr. 2026   UN warns against privatizing assistance as US urges nations to back ‘trade over aid’ plan. (AP, agencies)   The U.S. is urging other nations to back a “trade over aid” initiative at the United Nations as part of the Trump administration’s broader shift away from donor-focused development assistance and toward a America First agenda seeking greater private investment in support of US multinationals interests.   The U.N. is warning against privatizing a global aid system that delivers crucial assistance to some of the world’s most vulnerable populations.   Ahead of the initiative being formally introduced at the U.N. at the end of April, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has ordered all U.S. diplomats to deliver a call to action to high-level foreign officials to sign on with their support, according to a diplomatic cable sent this week and obtained by The Associated Press.   According to the directive, the “Trade Over Aid Initiative” is meant to encourage U.N. member states to “make pro-business reforms” to their aid processes by facilitating conversations between governments, the private sector and international organizations.   The proposal also calls for “free market” policies to attract foreign trade that include “limited regulation, lower taxation, fossil fuel energy sources, private property rights, and the sanctity of contracts.." (ISDS rights).   While signing on to the proposal is nonbinding and does not create obligations or require changes to national laws, it would reflect the increasingly dire global aid situation as powerful countries like the U.S., the United Kingdom and others have dramatically decreased funding for humanitarian aid and increased their nations’ defense spending.   The latest move is also seen by the U.N. and other international organizations as further abandoning the aid system at a moment of growing conflicts around the world and widespread humanitarian needs, while increasing the risk of exploitation by for-profit companies.   Despite the U.S. effort, the United Nations says it is committed to putting in place the sustainable development agenda by 2030, U.N. spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said, which includes ending poverty, achieving gender equality and urgently tackling climate change.   “For us, trade, investment, and private sector engagement can be powerful drivers of growth and job creation,” he told AP. “They should, however, not be used to substitute international development cooperation or for principled humanitarian assistance.”   Eric Pelofsky, who served at the State Department under the Barack Obama and George W. Bush administrations, blasted the effort in a statement, saying that “there’s no American who looks at a picture of a starving child and sees an opportunity for companies to enrich themselves.”   “That’s because Americans have historically run to the fire to help rather than looking for ways to sell fire hoses to those suffering,” Pelofsky said, who is now an executive at the Rockefeller Foundation. “This approach betrays America’s traditions, values, and national security interests — and it makes us less safe.”   The Trump administration has dismantled the U.S. Agency for International Development, dramatically reduced aid funding and funding to United Nations agencies.   * In the UK Aid agencies express alarm over the developments:   "Overseas Development Assistance (ODA) matters because it can provide life-saving, direct, and targeted funding for countries and communities with the most acute needs, including humanitarian support, healthcare, and clean water, so any cuts to programmes will have devastating impacts on the communities they serve. The UK government’s own Equality Impact Assessment for the cuts in 2025/26 already paints a bleak picture of the impact of the UK aid cuts. Life-saving programmes, including the ‘Ending Preventable Deaths Support Programme’, a key component of UK support to end preventable deaths of women, newborns and children, will see budget reductions.."   http://www.bond.org.uk/news/2026/03/oda-allocations-for-2026-onwards-show-the-grim-reality-of-aid-cuts/ http://www.bond.org.uk/news/2026/04/a-day-of-statistics-painting-a-bleak-picture-for-the-worlds-marginalised http://www.one.org/press/uk-bilateral-aid-to-africa-slashed-by-more-than-half-as-labours-cuts-leave-millions-without-basic-healthcare-and-urgent-humanitarian-support/ http://www.chathamhouse.org/events/all/standard-event/aid-conflict-and-global-leadership-un-humanitarian-chief-tom-fletcher   http://www.oxfam.org/en/press-releases/death-aid-cuts-oxfam-reaction-oecd-preliminary-data-aid-spending-2025 http://www.oxfam.org/en/press-releases/child-under-five-could-die-every-forty-seconds-2030-due-us-aid-cuts-oxfam-analysis http://www.unicef.org/press-releases/unicef-calls-urgent-investment-life-saving-services-children-global-humanitarian http://www.wfp.org/news/wfp-projects-food-insecurity-could-reach-record-levels-result-middle-east-escalation http://www.wfp.org/global-hunger-crisis http://www.wfp.org/publications/food-security-impact-reduction-wfp-funding http://www.nrc.no/news/2025/december/2026-millions-in-need-will-not-get-aid-unless-global-solidarity-revived http://www.thenewhumanitarian.org/analysis/2025/12/11/abrupt-transitions-global-humanitarian-overview-pushes-dangerous-trend   http://www.refugeesinternational.org/reports-briefs/a-generational-collapse-tracking-the-toll-of-trumps-humanitarian-aid-cuts/ http://www.thelancet.com/journals/langlo/article/PIIS2214-109X(26)00008-2/fulltext http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(25)01186-9/fulltext http://www.cgdev.org/blog/global-collapse-funding-food-insecure http://www.interaction.org/statement/interaction-responds-to-proposed-cuts-in-the-presidents-fy2027-budget-request http://humanitarianaction.info/document/global-humanitarian-overview-2026/article/trends-crises-and-needs-world-breaking-point http://humanitarianaction.info/document/global-humanitarian-overview-2026 http://reliefweb.int/report/world/year-no-other-ngo-statement-launch-new-un-2026-appeal   * Forbes March 2026: 3,428 billionaires wealth now a record $20.1 trillion, up $4 trillion from last year. The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute reports global military spending of over $2700 billion in 2024.   25 Mar. 2026   Aid groups crippled by foreign aid cuts plead for funds as Middle East humanitarian crisis grows. (AP)   Humanitarian organizations under intense strain because of the United States’ steep cuts to foreign aid say they are scrambling to find the funds needed to respond to the war in the Middle East, where millions of people have already been displaced by the widening conflict.   U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision last year to dissolve the U.S. Agency for International Development — once the world’s leading donor of humanitarian assistance — forced aid groups around the world to fire tens of thousands of staffers and shutter lifesaving programs.   Now, some of those same groups are struggling to mount a response in the Middle East. Already, the United Nations’ refugee agency, UNHCR, estimates 3.2 million people inside Iran and 1 million people in Lebanon have been displaced since the U.S. and Israel launched strikes against Iran on Feb. 28.   The UNHCR — which axed 30% of its staff last year due to the funding cuts — has issued an urgent appeal for donations, noting that in Lebanon alone, the agency needs an additional $61 million to support 600,000 people over just the next three months. Across the region, the agency said its operations are “dramatically underfunded,” particularly in Lebanon, Syria, Iran and Afghanistan.   “The drop in global humanitarian funding is having a major impact on humanitarian actors at the very moment as needs are rising sharply,” the UNHCR said. “These reductions mean we are operating with far fewer people and resources at a time when displacement is growing.”   The aid groups’ mounting anxieties come as the U.N.’s World Food Program — which saw its funding cut by a third last year — warned last week that nearly 45 million more people would face acute hunger if the war doesn’t end by the middle of the year and if oil prices stay above $100 a barrel.   “If this conflict continues, it will send shockwaves across the globe, and families who already cannot afford their next meal will be hit the hardest,” WFP’s deputy executive director and chief operating officer Carl Skau said in a statement. “Without an adequately funded humanitarian response, it could spell catastrophe for millions already on the edge.”   The Trump administration dismantled USAID after the president erroneously claimed it a waste of money. Several other countries have also cut humanitarian aid, claiming they needed the funds to shore up defense budgets.   The results have been devastating for the world’s most vulnerable; children have starved to death, young girls have been forced into underage marriage and impoverished HIV-positive patients have struggled in vain to find lifesaving medication.   “As people around the world struggle with rising fuel and food prices, people who live in the poorest countries are the hardest hit. The largest cuts to Official Development Assistance in history have real human consequences for ordinary people; more hunger, more people dying from preventable diseases, and more instability,” said David McNair, Executive Director at ONE.   http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/apr/16/trump-officials-foreign-aid http://www.thelancet.com/journals/langlo/article/PIIS2214-109X(26)00008-2/fulltext http://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2026/feb/03/aid-cuts-avoidable-deaths-study-children-uk-us-donor-countries http://www.oxfamamerica.org/press/press-releases/trump-administration-turning-humanitarian-aid-into-a-bargaining-chip-by-threatening-to-withhold-aid-to-zambia-if-political-demands-are-not-met-oxfam/ http://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2026/feb/25/zambia-us-health-aid-deal-exploitation-mining-concessions-data-sharing-targets http://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2025/nov/08/us-countries-share-data-pathogens-epidemic-potential-health-aid Visit the related web page
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