WASHINGTON – The Trump administration is seeking to get other nations to cut back on global humanitarian aid and ‘promote America First values’ by investing in US companies, according to news reports.
The trade over aid initiative will be an opportunity to use the United Nations system to create business opportunities for US companies, per a cable sent to all US embassies and consulates.
In the cable reviewed by The Washington Post, Secretary of State Marco Rubio ordered all US diplomats to issue a demarche – an official call to action – to all foreign nations by Monday that asks them to support the new initiative.
The US plans to introduce this idea at the UN at the end of April, according to the cable.
Devex was the first to report on the ‘trade over aid’ initiative and the internal State Department documents fleshing it out. ‘For decades, government aid has been flowing from developed to developing countries with only limited impact,’ according to one of the notes the outlet obtained.
‘It has not solved the world’s economic development challenges and it has often created dependency, inefficiency and corruption.’
‘Donors and developing countries are ready to try a new development aid model,’ the note continued. ‘The old model has been government-centred and one-directional: Aid flowed from donor to recipient countries. The new model emphasises mutually profitable business relationships between private sectors and countries.’
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