Canada gives $272M in aid to Bangladesh, Indo-Pacific as USAID shuttered
Global News
While the U.S. has halted foreign aid, Canada is supporting projects in Bangladesh on gender equality, reproductive health and access to inclusive education and skills training.
Canada’s Minister of International Development, Ahmed Hussen, unveiled $272.1 million in new funding on Sunday for foreign aid projects in Bangladesh and the Indo-Pacific region.
“Canada continues to fiercely strengthen our long-lasting friendship with Bangladesh and the wider Indo-Pacific region with our long-standing people-to-people ties,” Hussen said in a statement. “By supporting vulnerable communities’ healthcare services, empowering women and addressing climate change, we are creating a brighter tomorrow for the global community.”
The money, to be spent alongside contributions from other foreign partners and donors, will provide new funding for 14 different projects in Bangladesh and other countries in the Indo-Pacific region.
The federal Liberal government’s move highlights a dramatically different Canadian approach to foreign development assistance compared to American Republican President Donald Trump’s government, which halted funding through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
Trump and his new government efficiency czar, businessman Elon Musk, froze U.S. foreign aid for 90 days after he took power, shutting down aid programs around the world and triggering furloughs of thousands of employees inside the government and among its contractors.
Trump and his Republican appointees view foreign aid programs as a waste of taxpayers’ money, arguing they support liberal political agendas. Their detractors say such spending boosts American standing in the world, and counters foreign interference by other countries.
American foreign aid workers and supporters have challenged Trump’s moves in court, saying the president exceeded his legal and constitutional authority when he effectively dismantled a federal agency whose spending was authorized by the U.S. Congress.
Details about the different, multi-year projects Canada is funding can be found in this backgrounder from Global Affairs Canada.
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