Staff Correspondent

The International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b) has issued termination letters to more than 1,000 of its employees following the US government's recent decision to halt funding to foreign programmes.

AKM Tariful Islam Khan, senior manager (communications) at icddr,b, confirmed the development to the Daily Sun saying “We have suspended all US government-funded projects and research until further notice, in accordance with US government guidelines. We apologize for the inconvenience this may cause our clients, partners, and colleagues.”

“We are hopeful that we will be able to resume our activities,” he added.

The icddr’b sources said the institute took the decision to cut the workforce as the projects funded by USAID will remain suspended.

The US President Donald Trump on 20 January issued an executive order suspending funding to all countries for 90 days to allow a review of the assistance programmes.

On 25 January, USAID in a letter to project implementing partners in Bangladesh said that along with other countries around the world, the USAID has announced an immediate cessation or suspension of any work in Bangladesh under contracts, work orders, grants, cooperative agreements, or other assistance or procurement instruments.

The icddr,b, a globally renowned health research institution in Bangladesh, focuses on public health, infectious diseases like TB, Cholera, nutrition, maternal and child health, and vaccines.

The institute’s activities are run with its large number of employees under different projects primarily funded by grants, donations, and contracts from international organisations, governments, and private donors.

Public health experts said the suspension of the activities of the projects funded by the USAID will seriously affect the public health services of the country.