In what comes as a big blow to Muhammad Yunus’ interim government in Bangladesh, the United States donor agency, United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has decided to abruptly terminate or suspend any work under contracts, work orders, grants, cooperative agreements, or other assistance or procurement instruments being undertaken in the country. In a message sent to project implementing partners on Saturday, the order was conveyed by the USAID to its partners in Bangladesh.
In its letter, USAID directed all USAID/Bangladesh implementing partners to “immediately stop or suspend any work under USAID/Bangladesh contract, work order, grant, cooperative agreement, or other assistance or acquisition instrument.”
The suspension is being seen as part of a broader review of foreign aid allocation. The order covers all existing foreign assistance, barring military financing to Israel and Egypt. The move is likely to halt critical aid programs as it will ensure that billions of dollars in life-saving assistance are put on hold.