The United Nations warned Monday that cuts in international aid could undo decades of progress in reducing child mortality and potentially reverse the trend.

The annual report from UNICEF, the World Health Organization (WHO), and the World Bank did not specifically target the United States, but the warning came as President Donald Trump's administration has drastically reduced funding for programs operated by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), which previously had an annual budget of $42.8 billion.

"The global health community cannot be worried enough at the situation that we are seeing," Fouzia Shafique, UNICEF's Associate Director of Health, told AFP.

The report highlights that the consequences of aid cuts will be felt most severely in countries where infant mortality rates are already the highest, including sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. "Simply put, if support for life-saving services is not sustained, many countries can expect a resurgence of newborn and child deaths," the report said.

In 2023, child mortality continued to decline, with 4.8 million deaths recorded, including 2.3 million newborns under one month old. The number of child deaths fell below five million for the first time in 2022, marking a 52 percent decrease since 2000. However, Shafique insisted that "4.8 million is 4.8 million too many."

Progress in reducing child mortality has slowed since 2015 as aid funds were diverted to combat COVID-19, and the report warns that this trend could continue.

"Bringing preventable child deaths to a record low is a remarkable achievement. But without the right policy choices and adequate investment, we risk reversing these hard-earned gains," UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell said in a statement. "We cannot allow that to happen," she added.

Impact of aid cuts

The report notes that cuts in aid have already started to have negative impacts, including shortages of healthcare workers, clinic closures, disrupted vaccination programs, and a lack of essential supplies, such as malaria treatments. In Ethiopia, for example, there has been a significant increase in malaria cases due to a shortage of diagnostic tests, insecticide-treated bed nets, and funding for mosquito control campaigns.

A separate report by the same organizations found that stillbirths remain a significant issue, with 1.9 million recorded in 2023. "Every day, more than 5,000 women around the world endure the heartbreaking experience of stillbirth," the second report states. With proper care during pregnancy and childbirth, many of these deaths, as well as premature births, could be prevented.

The report also emphasized that the deaths of young children could be largely avoided by fighting preventable diseases such as pneumonia and diarrhea.

"From tackling malaria to preventing stillbirths and ensuring evidence-based care for the tiniest babies, we can make a difference for millions of families," said Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization.