The U.S. is set to pay $160,000 to incinerate $9.7 million contraceptives that were earmarked for poorer countries, but have been stuck in a warehouse in Belgium since Donald Trump declared a freeze on foreign aid and shut down USAID, says Reuters.
The contraceptive devices are comprised of contraceptive implants and pills as well as intrauterine devices, designed to prevent unwanted pregnancies, and will be burned in a facility in France that handles medical waste.
Reuters also points out that the Belgian foreign ministry “explored all possible options to prevent the destruction, including temporary relocation,” but the U.S. authorities rejected the offers.
FILE PHOTO: A USAID flag flutters outside, as the USAID building sits closed to employees after a memo was issued advising agency personnel to work remotely, in Washington, D.C., U.S., February 3, 2025. REUTERS/Kent Nishimura/File Photo
One proposal by a non-profit organization, which was also rejected, was to pay to: remove the USAID branding on the items, ship to the countries in need and undertake import duties and related procedures.
The United Nations’ sexual and reproductive health agency UNFPA also offered to buy the contraceptives, but negotiations broke down on account of a lack of response from the U.S. government, says Reuters. Neither UNFPA nor a representative of the U.S. government agreed to comment on the matter, added the news agency.
Women returnees prepare doughnuts and pancakes as part of their empowerment program after the visit by United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Tom Fletcher, to assess the humanitarian situation of populations returning from recent conflicts between the M23 rebels and the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (FARDC), in Buhumba, Nyiragongo territory, Democratic Republic of Congo June 26, 2025. REUTERS/Arlette Bashizi
The move by the U.S. administration is aligned with its signing of an anti-abortion pact, which forbids the U.S. government from contributing to or working with organizations that offer access to abortion.
Non-profits working in developing countries have openly expressed their frustration with the U.S. government regarding its sudden dismembering of USAID, saying that the country’s about-face on the delivery of aid is costing lives.
The items in the warehouse are set to expire between April 2027 adn September 2031.
