Unlock Aid Urges Secretary of State Rubio to Act on Foreign Aid Funding and Reform with Full-Page Miami Herald Ad

Open Challenge Calls on Secretary Rubio to Restart Life-Saving Programs and to Approach U.S. Foreign Aid in a Fundamentally Different Way

WASHINGTON, DC, UNITED STATES, March 24, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Unlock Aid is ramping up its call for urgent action on U.S. foreign aid funding and reform, running a full-page advertisement in Sunday’s Miami Herald urging Secretary of State Rubio to take immediate steps to restart funding for critical health programs while embracing a bold new approach to aid delivery.

“This is a pivotal moment for the future of U.S. foreign assistance,” said Amanda Arch, Co-Executive Director of Unlock Aid. “Secretary Rubio has the opportunity to transform the way life-saving services are delivered around the world. We are urging him to start shifting funding to programs that can demonstrate results in weeks versus months and years.”

A recent court ruling mandates that tens of billions of dollars in funding already approved by Congress must be deployed by September 30, creating a narrow window to save lives and demonstrate a more modern, effective approach. Without immediate action, countless lives will continue to hang in the balance.

Specifically, the ad challenges Secretary Rubio to deploy at least $1 billion of already-approved global health funds immediately—to organizations that can deliver results within days and weeks, not months or years—to jumpstart vital programs while showcasing a new approach. Specifically, Unlock Aid is calling on him to:

• Pay for measurable results, not promises – Only release funds when real, verifiable improvements happen, backed by transparent reporting for accountability.
• Cut out middlemen, fund frontline heroes – Disburse funding directly to the organizations closest to the challenges.
• Harness innovation to cut costs and deliver results faster – Leverage evidence-based approaches and technology to reduce costs, scale what works, and verify results.
• Advance American interests while saving lives – Transform traditional aid relationships into mutually beneficial partnerships where host country partners co-design and co-invest.
• Build self-reliance from day one – Commit to shifting long-term management to local actors, promoting genuine self-reliance.

“We hope that Sunday’s ad will turbocharge momentum for new ideas that can be adopted immediately that serve both American interests and global needs," said Walter Kerr, Co-Executive Director of Unlock Aid.

Unlock Aid, a coalition representing more than 100 organizations committed to reimagining and rebuilding a more effective approach to global development, announced a groundbreaking new standard for U.S. foreign assistance that reimagines America's approach to global development last week. In an open letter to Secretary Rubio, the coalition detailed how the new standard aligns America's international development efforts with both U.S. interests and global needs.

To See view Unlock Aid’s recommendations visit: https://unlockaid.substack.com/p/launching-a-new-standard-for-us-global

Brian Franklin
Unlock Aid
+1 703-201-3875
brian@unlockaid.org
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