UN chief concerned at US aid freeze, seeks more exemptions

Secretary of State Marco Rubio sent an internal memo on Friday announcing the stoppage and making exceptions only for emergency food supplies, and military funding for Israel and Egypt.

Trump took office last week after winning the election with a vow to put "America first" and to tightly restrict aid overseas.

Guterres "notes with concern the announcement of a pause in US foreign assistance," his spokesman said in a statement.

"The Secretary-General calls for additional exemptions to be considered to ensure the continued delivery of critical development and humanitarian activities."

Guterres said help was essential for "the most vulnerable communities around the world, whose lives and livelihoods depend on this support."

But he sought to strike a positive note on US relations, adding he "looks forward to engaging with the new United States administration" on the issue.

The sweeping US order appeared to affect everything from development assistance to military aid -- including to Ukraine, which received billions of dollars in weapons under Trump's predecessor Joe Biden as it tries to repel a Russian invasion.

The directive also means a pause of US funding for PEPFAR, the anti-HIV/AIDS initiative that buys anti-retroviral drugs to treat the disease in developing countries, largely in Africa.

Washington has long leveraged aid as a tool of foreign policy, saying it cares about development and drawing a contrast with China, which is primarily concerned about seeking natural resources.

The US memo made exceptions for military assistance to Israel -- whose longstanding major arms packages from the United States have expanded further since the Gaza war -- and to Egypt.

Rubio also made an exception for emergency food assistance for crises around the world including in Sudan and Syria.