US to set up 12 regional disaster response hubs as it consolidates emergency humanitarian aid

The State Department announced Friday it will establish 12 regional hubs globally to coordinate disaster and emergency humanitarian responses, part of a restructuring following the dissolution of the U.S. Agency for International Development.

The newly formed Bureau of Disaster and Humanitarian Response will be headquartered in Washington with approximately 200 staff members, but field operations will be managed through regional centers strategically positioned across Latin America, Asia, Europe, and Africa.

This reorganization comes amid widespread criticism from aid organizations and relief agencies over the Trump administration’s decision to dismantle USAID, which had served as the federal government’s primary foreign assistance arm for decades. The new bureau, focusing exclusively on disaster and emergency aid, will operate as a component of a broader office overseeing all U.S. foreign assistance programs.

“These regional hubs will allow us to respond more efficiently to crises as they emerge,” said a State Department spokesperson. “By positioning resources closer to potential disaster zones, we can reduce response times and improve coordination with local governments and organizations.”

The regional centers will be established in Miami; Bogota, Colombia; Guatemala City, Guatemala; Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic; Kyiv, Ukraine; Amman, Jordan; Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; Nairobi, Kenya; Dakar, Senegal; Bangkok, Thailand; Dhaka, Bangladesh; and Manila, Philippines.

The Trump administration has significantly reduced foreign aid expenditures in recent years, particularly targeting programs focused on climate change initiatives and social justice issues. This reduction reflects the administration’s “America First” approach to international engagement and its skepticism toward certain types of foreign assistance.

Despite these cuts, the administration did announce a $2 billion contribution to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs late last year. This funding will be directed through the UN to specific groups and countries based on assessed needs, rather than through direct U.S. bilateral assistance programs.

Former USAID officials have expressed concerns about the reorganization. Jeremy Konyndyk, who served as director of USAID’s Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance during the Obama administration, noted, “The institutional knowledge and specialized expertise built up within USAID over decades isn’t something you can easily replicate in a new bureau.”

Humanitarian aid experts point out that the dissolution of USAID represents one of the most significant changes to America’s foreign assistance architecture in decades. Since its founding in 1961, USAID had managed billions in foreign aid and developed specialized knowledge in areas ranging from pandemic response to food security and infrastructure development.

The new structure will face immediate challenges as it establishes operations amid ongoing global crises, including conflict zones in Ukraine and the Middle East, climate-related disasters, and food insecurity in parts of Africa and Asia.

Congressional leaders have expressed mixed reactions to the reorganization. Some Republican lawmakers have praised the move as streamlining foreign assistance, while many Democrats have criticized what they see as a diminishment of America’s humanitarian leadership role.

International relief organizations are cautiously observing how the new bureau will function in practice. Mercy Corps, a global humanitarian organization, issued a statement urging the State Department to “ensure that humanitarian principles of neutrality and independence remain central to U.S. disaster response efforts.”

The State Department indicates that the regional hubs should be fully operational by the end of the year, with some locations beginning limited operations in the coming weeks.