The US decided to burn $10 million worth of contraceptives purchased for poor countries
Kyiv • UNN
The US decided to burn nearly $10 million worth of contraceptives purchased for USAID humanitarian programs. These supplies were stored in Belgium after the Trump administration froze foreign aid programs, and proposals for their repackaging and repurchase were rejected.
In France, contraceptives worth almost 10 million dollars, purchased under humanitarian programs of the US Agency for International Development (USAID), will be destroyed. This was reported by Reuters, citing sources, writes UNN.
Details
This refers to contraceptive implants, pills, and intrauterine devices. For several months, they were stored in a warehouse in the Belgian city of Geel after President Donald Trump froze the US foreign aid program in January.
The United States decided to spend $160,000 to incinerate these supplies at a waste disposal plant in France. The Belgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that it held talks with the American side and "explored all possible options to avoid destruction, including temporary relocation" of the contraceptives. However, no solution was found.
The non-governmental organization MSI Reproductive Choices, which provides contraception services in dozens of countries, stated that it offered to pay for repackaging the contraceptives without USAID logos and deliver them to countries in need, but Washington rejected this offer.
We were told that the US government would only agree to sell these drugs at full market value
The UN reproductive health agency (UNFPA) also offered to buy the contraceptives, three Reuters sources said. However, negotiations broke down, partly due to a lack of response from the Trump administration.