Reference Message Network reported on June 22 that the article titled "Increased War Funds, Reduced Peace Funds: The Latest Crossroads of Development Aid" was published on the website of Spain's El País on June 19. The author is Elias Khamis. The following are excerpts from the article: Since returning to the White House, Donald Trump has made it a priority to demand that NATO allies increase their defense spending to 5% of GDP. Meanwhile, the United States has begun to cut back on USAID, the largest development cooperation agency, and redirect these resources to military budgets and other areas. Under Trump's pressure, some major European economies (important donors in the international aid system) have followed Washington's lead. The Center for Global Development in Washington estimates that the loss of lives caused by the withdrawal of aid under the Trump administration includes: 3,824 people dying of AIDS every day; 428 people dying of malaria; 354 people dying of tuberculosis; and 1,504 people dying due to lack of humanitarian support. If the EU continues to reduce aid, this negative impact may become even greater. According to UN data, the EU is the largest donor of official development assistance, accounting for about 25% of total aid funds. As a major donor country, Germany announced in April this year that it would cut its official development assistance budget. Previously, the UK, the second-largest donor in Europe, announced plans to reduce its aid to only 0.3% of GDP by 2027, which is the lowest level since 1999. Under pressure from far-right groups, France also decided to cut its aid budget by 35% and announced the establishment of a committee to assess the continuity of its overseas aid projects. Against the backdrop of major donor countries cutting aid, the United Nations predicts that by 2025, official development assistance funds will unprecedentedly decrease by about 20%, due to reasons such as "economic and geopolitical challenges," "pressure to divert public funds to other areas (such as defense spending)," and "shifts in Western priorities." At the same time, Trump's demands are having an impact on Europe: Germany supports raising defense spending to 5% of GDP, while France and the UK also plan to increase their defense budgets. Trump's militaristic tendencies cost more than investing in peacebuilding. It brings more expenses to Western countries and causes destructive impacts on developing countries. Carlos Alvarado, former president of Costa Rica, said, "We are not investing in protecting ourselves from survival threats like the climate crisis, but rather spending more money on arms, which is absurd." Costa Rica is a country highly vulnerable to global warming. Spain is one of the countries opposing the increase in defense spending to 5% of GDP. The Pedro Sánchez government plans to raise defense spending from just below 1.3% of GDP to 2%, which means an additional investment of approximately 1.05 billion euros. (Translated/By Tian Ce) Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7518616152471044660/ Disclaimer: This article only represents the views of the author. Please express your attitude by clicking the "Like/Dislike" buttons below.