Civil society organizations in the Middle East face uncertainty due to reductions in US aid funding. Project managers express concerns over funding stability, with one stating they are spending on a monthly basis while hoping for the best. An Iraqi journalist's network founder reveals challenges in paying journalists as promised funding remains uncertain. Overall, the US's slashes in foreign aid reflect a broader trend of declining official development aid (ODA). European countries are also reducing ODA in favor of increased defense spending, leading to a significant overall drop in global aid funding.
"Nobody really knows what's happening," one project manager running a Syria-based project told DW about the US cuts in aid funding. "They haven't put a complete stop to it yet so we're just spending the money on a monthly basis and hoping for the best."
"We still don't know if we're going to get the funding we were promised this year," the founder of an Iraqi journalists' network in Baghdad said. "We probably won't be able to pay some of our journalists. Right now, we're approaching other organizations to try to replace the money."
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