Millions of unused USAID condoms are sitting in a warehouse in Belgium

According to a recent investigation by the Washington Post, millions of condoms and other contraceptives belonging to the US development agency USAID are currently sitting unused in a warehouse in Geel in Antwerp province.

Approximately 12 million dollars (10.36 million euros) of reproductive health supplies remain in storage in Belgium and the United Arab Emirates due to the US government’s decision to dismantle USAID.

This includes 26 million condoms, millions of packs of oral contraceptives, hundreds of thousands of contraceptive implants, almost 2 million doses of injectable contraceptives and 50,000 bottles of HIV prevention medication. Much of the stock is close to its expiry date and the Trump administration is reportedly planning to destroy the remaining stock.

'Give us the money'

According to the Washington Post, several humanitarian organisations have tried to negotiate with US officials to distribute or purchase the supplies, but with little success. One source involved in the negotiations said: “The response from the USAID negotiator was, 'Give us the money.' If that doesn't work, it just becomes waste."

The estimated cost of destroying the contraceptives is 167,000 dollars (144,000 euros). The total value of goods in the Belgian warehouse is around 10 million dollars (8.6 million euros).

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USAID, the United States Agency for International Development, was established by president John F Kennedy via executive order in 1960, following the signing of the Foreign Assistance Act. In 2023, it accounted for 40 billion dollars of the US federal budget, or 0.63 per cent of the 6.13 trillion dollar total.

Trump granted Elon Musk the authority to dissolve or restructure the agency this year. On 3 February, Musk announced the closure of USAID via his X platform, with plans to integrate its functions into the US State Department. Analysts have linked this decision to a broader shift in American foreign policy priorities.

^{Illustration © PHOTO AFP}

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