The White House has recommended ceasing U.S. funding for approximately 20 programs focused on accountability for war crimes in countries like Myanmar, Syria, and Ukraine. This is according to U.S. sources and internal government documents analyzed by Reuters.
The recommendation, made by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), is not a final decision, as the State Department has the right to appeal for programs to continue. This development is expected to spark a debate between the OMB and Secretary of State Marco Rubio regarding which programs should remain active.
The affected programs also cover other countries including Iraq, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Colombia, Belarus, Sudan, Afghanistan, and Gambia. Among them is the “Global Rights Compliance” project, which supports the collection of evidence for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Ukraine, including sexual violence and torture.
Sources emphasize that many of these programs have existed for decades and received support from various administrations. However, they now face discontinuation due to the Trump administration’s policy of concentrating funding on its “America First” agenda priorities.
