U.S. "Trade Over Aid" Initiative
The U.S. is no longer comfortable with simply handing aid to developing countries. It is now seeking new partners, and thus far, 46 countries have signed up. The Trade Over Aid Initiative was launched on April 27, 2026 at the New York Stock Exchange. It was then followed in July by a forum event themed Opening Markets for Mutually Beneficial Economic Growth.
Oyiza Adaba - Africa-Related, New York
Wednesday, July 15, 2026
U.S. Mission to U.N. Hosts Event on Aid to Developing Countries. Images courtesy of NYSE Group.
The U.S. is no longer comfortable with simply handing aid to developing countries. It is now seeking new partners, and thus far, 46 countries have signed up. The Trade Over Aid Initiative was launched on April 27, 2026 at the New York Stock Exchange. It was then followed in July by a forum event themed Opening Markets for Mutually Beneficial Economic Growth.
What are the objectives of the Trade Over Aid Group of Friends?
The Trade Over Aid Initiative seeks to:
Advance the values outlined in the Trade Over Aid Declaration of Principles. We will encourage countries to make pro-business reforms resulting in an enabling environment for mutually beneficial international economic relations.
Facilitate dialogue between governments, the private sector, and UN and other international organizations to identify concrete actions and reforms necessary to attract investment and facilitate trade.
Showcase success stories from countries that have made progress toward their development objectives through free-market reforms.
Explore mutually beneficial business partnerships connecting developing countries with investment sources and technical expertise from the United States and other advanced economies, and from international organizations.
Digital Library of Capacity Building Offers
A key part of the Trade Over Aid Initiative is a digital library of capacity building offers from the U.S. and non-U.S. private sector and government agencies, international organizations, and NGOs. The library is available to all countries supporting the Initiative.
Number of Offers in Library: 63
Number of Contributors: 46
Private Sector Contributors: 29
U.S. Government Agency Contributors: 3
Foreign Government Contributors: 5
International Organization Contributors: 2
Philanthropy Contributors: 7
Where can a UN Member State sign up?
Permanent Missions are invited to express their interest in the initiative by registering at the Expression of Interest: U.S. Trade Over Aid Initiative form.
Countries Signed Up – Total: 46
Africa
1. Djibouti
2. Kenya
3. Lesotho
4. Morocco
5. Nigeria
6. Uganda
Europe
1. Albania
2. Armenia
3. Czechia
4. Estonia
5. Israel
6. Lithuania
7. North Macedonia
8. Romania
9. Serbia
South/Central Asia
1. Kazakhstan
2. Kyrgyzstan
3. Mongolia
4. Pakistan
5. Tajikistan
6. Turkmenistan
7. Uzbekistan
East Asia and Pacific
1. Cambodia
2. Fiji
3. Micronesia (Federated States of)
4. Naoero
5. Palau
6. Philippines
7. Singapore
8. Sri Lanka
9. Thailand
Middle East
1. Kuwait
2. Qatar
3. Saudi Arabia
4. Syrian Arab Republic
5. United Arab Emirates
Western Hemisphere
1. Antigua and Barbuda
2. Argentina
3. Chile
4. Costa Rica
5. Dominican Republic
6. Ecuador
7. Guatemala
8. Honduras
9. Panama
10. Paraguay
OUTCOMES: Ambassador Dan Negrea
A press briefing hosted by the Foreign Press Center was held on July 15, 2026 with Ambassador Dan Negrea, - the U.S. Representative to the United Nations Economic and Social Council and Alternate Representative of the United States to the Sessions of the General Assembly
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Degrading CJNG: Announcing over $100 Million in Reward Offers and Visa Restrictions
Degrading CJNG: Announcing over $100 Million in Reward Offers and Visa Restrictions
Oyiza Adaba - Africa-Related, New York
U.S. DEPARTMENT of STATE
Office of the Spokesperson
Media Note
August 5, 2026
In a historic and decisive action in support of President Trump’s mission to eliminate narco-terrorist cartels threatening the American people, the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs is announcing reward offers under the Narcotics Rewards Program (NRP) and Transnational Organized Crime Rewards Program (TOCRP) totaling up to $102 million for information leading to the arrests and/or convictions, in any country, of eight leaders and associates of Cártel de Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG). These rewards are offered in coordination with the DOJ, DEA, FBI, HSI, IRS, CBP, and the National Coordination Center.
Last year, the Trump Administration designated CJNG as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) and a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT). CJNG is among the most violent and dangerous narco-terrorist organizations in our Hemisphere, and poisons American communities with illicit fentanyl, cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamine.
The reward offers include up to $25 million (an increase from up to $5 million) for Juan Carlos Valencia González, a.k.a. “Pelón,” the new leader of CJNG following the recent death of his stepfather, CJNG founder Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, a.k.a. “El Mencho”; up to $15 million (an increase from up to $5 million) for Audias Flores Silva, a.k.a. “Jardinero”; up to $15 million each for Gonzalo Mendoza Gaytán, a.k.a. “Sapo,” and Oseguera Cervantes’ son-in-law, Julio Alberto Castillo Rodríguez, a.k.a. “Chorro”; up to $10 million each for Ricardo Ruiz Velasco, a.k.a. “Tripa,” Julio César Montero Pinzón, a.k.a. “El Tarjetas,” and Carlos Andrés Rivera Varela, a.k.a. “La Firma”; and up to $2 million for Griselda Margarita Arredondo Pinzón. These reward offers support our U.S. law enforcement partners in crippling the organization’s leadership.
Additionally, the Department is imposing visa restrictions on 65 individuals who are family members or close personal or business associates of persons linked to CJNG (who have been sanctioned under Executive Order 14059, Imposing Sanctions on Foreign Persons Involved in the Global Illicit Drug Trade). Twenty-six of those individuals had existing visas, which have now been revoked. Since announcing this visa restriction policy in June 2025, a total of 93 visas have been revoked from family members and associates of sanctioned drug traffickers connected to FTO-designated cartels. Under President Trump and Secretary Rubio’s leadership, violent cartel operatives and their criminal facilitators are no longer able to enter our country and terrorize the American people.
Today’s reward offers complement the Department of Justice’s announcement of the unsealing of charges against Mendoza Gaytán, Castillo Rodríguez, Ruiz Velasco, Montero Pinzón, and Rivera Varela.
Today’s reward offers are authorized by the Assistant Secretary for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs under the NRP, which supports law enforcement efforts to disrupt transnational drug trafficking globally and bring fugitives to justice, and the TOCRP, which supports law enforcement efforts to disrupt transnational organized crime globally. The NRP, which was established in 1986, celebrates its 40th anniversary this year and, along with its sister program, the TOCRP, has brought more than 90 transnational criminals and major narcotics traffickers to justice and paid out more than $200 million for information leading to apprehensions and other qualifying outcomes.
If you have information on Valencia González, Mendoza Gaytán, Castillo Rodríguez, or Ruiz Velasco, please contact the DEA by phone at 1-213-237-9990 (text/WhatsApp/Signal/Threema) or by email at CJNGtips@dea.gov. If you have information onMontero Pinzón, Rivera Varela, or Arredondo Pinzón, please contact the FBI by phone at 1-800-CALL-FBI or 212-384-1778 (WhatsApp), or online at http://www.fbi.gov/cjngrewardtips. If you have information on Flores Silva, please contact HSI by phone at 866-347-2423 or online at https://www.ice.gov/tips. If you are located outside of the United States, please contact the nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate. If you are in the United States, please contact the local DEA, FBI, or HSI office in your city.
ALL IDENTITIES ARE KEPT STRICTLY CONFIDENTIAL. Government officials and employees are not eligible for rewards for information furnished while in the performance of his or her official duties.
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Calls for Congressional Hearing Over Religious Killings in Nigeria
Days before Christmas, hundreds of Christians were killed in Nigeria, along with their Pastor. This is just the latest example of deadly violence against religious communities in Nigeria. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) Calls for Congressional Hearing after State Department Fails to Designate Nigeria and India as Countries of Particular Concern (CPC).
AfricA-Related, New York
Days before Christmas, hundreds of Christians were killed in Nigeria, along with their Pastor. This is just the latest example of deadly violence against religious communities in Nigeria. (Photo: Screenshot)
PRESS RELEASE
January 4, 2024
USCIRF Calls for Congressional Hearing after State Department Fails to Designate Nigeria and India as Countries of Particular Concern (CPC), while Azerbaijan is Added to State Department’s Special Watch List
Washington, DC – The United States
Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) calls for a congressional hearing after reiterating its extreme disappointment that the U.S. Department of State yet again failed to designate Nigeria and India as Countries of Particular Concern (CPC), despite both countries repeatedly meeting the legal standard. Despite this disappointment, USCIRF welcomed the State Department’s decision to include Azerbaijan on its Special Watch List (SWL) for committing or tolerating severe violations of religious freedom pursuant to the International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA).
“There is no justification as to why the State Department did not designate Nigeria or India as a Country of Particular Concern, despite its own reporting and statements. USCIRF calls on Congress to convene a public hearing on the failure of the State Department to follow our recommendations,” said USCIRF Chair Abraham Cooper and Vice Chair Frederick A. Davie.
Mass burials taking place in Plateau State. (Photo by Kim Masara / AFPTV / AFP)
“Days before Christmas, hundreds of Christians were killed in Nigeria, along with their Pastor. This is just the latest example of deadly violence against religious communities in Nigeria that even the State Department has condemned. The majority of Commissioners have travelled to Nigeria and noted the threats to freedom of religion or belief and the deadly implications to religious communities,” stated USCIRF Chair Cooper and Vice Chair Davie. “In India, in addition to perpetrating egregious religious freedom violations within its borders, the government has increased its transnational repression activities targeting religious minorities abroad and those advocating on their behalf.”
“USCIRF rejects the State Department’s decision to omit Nigeria and India as CPCs. We met with the State Department on many occasions to sound the alarm about these countries, but not all of our recommendations have not been followed. We will not be deterred and will continue our role as a congressionally mandated watchdog to ensure the U.S. government prioritizes religious freedom as a key component of U.S. foreign policy,” they added.
The State Department re-designated 12 countries as CPCs—Burma, China, Cuba, Eritrea, Iran, Nicaragua, North Korea, Pakistan, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan. Furthermore, the State Department again issued waivers on sanctions for Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan. In its 2023 Annual Report, USCIRF recommended the re-designation of those 12 countries without any waivers and also recommended CPC designation for Afghanistan, India, Nigeria, Syria, and Vietnam.
The State Department placed Algeria, Azerbaijan, the Central African Republic (CAR), Comoros, and Vietnam on its SWL. USCIRF recommended in its 2023 Annual Report that Algeria, Azerbaijan, and CAR be placed on the SWL, in addition to Egypt, Indonesia, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Turkey, and Uzbekistan.
“USCIRF acknowledges the State Department accepted our recommendation to include Azerbaijan on its SWL. At the same time, USCIRF is disappointed that the State Department did not include our other recommendations for CPC or SWL. Though Vietnam is included on its Special Watch List, USCIRF strongly believes Vietnam should be designated a CPC based on the State Department’s own reporting on the government’s religious freedom violations,” said USCIRF Chair Cooper and Vice Chair Davie. “USCIRF formally requests a detailed justification by the State Department as to why our policy recommendations were not fully implemented, including the waivers.”
The State Department also designated eight EPCs, which are non-state actors that engage in particularly severe violations of religious freedom pursuant to IRFA. USCIRF recommended the redesignation of seven of these actors in its 2023 Annual Report: al-Shabaab, Boko Haram, Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the Houthis, ISIS-Sahel (formerly known as Islamic State in the Greater Sahara or ISGS), Islamic State in West Africa Province (ISWAP, also referred to as ISIS-West Africa), and Jamaat Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin (JNIM).
Since the issuance of its 2023 Annual Report, USCIRF has consistently shared its recommendations with the U.S. Department of State and Congress. In early December 2023, USCIRF met with Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken to reiterate those recommendations. USCIRF released publications on India’s State-Level Anti-Conversion Laws, Ethnonationalism and Religious Freedom in Nigeria, and State Control of Religion in Azerbaijan, and many others. In 2023, USCIRF held hearings on Iran, Burma, Russia, Cuba, Tajikistan, Vietnam, India, and Iraq.
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The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) is an independent, bipartisan federal government entity established by the U.S. Congress to monitor, analyze, and report on religious freedom abroad. USCIRF makes foreign policy recommendations to the President, the Secretary of State, and Congress intended to deter religious persecution and promote freedom of religion and belief. To interview a Commissioner, please contact USCIRF at media@uscirf.gov.
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Houthi Attacks: Governments Issue Joint Statement
A Joint Statement from the Governments of the United States, Australia, Bahrain, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom
AfricA-Related, New York
PRESS RELEASE
January 3, 2024
A Joint Statement from the Governments of the United States, Australia, Bahrain, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom
The White House
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Recognizing the broad consensus as expressed by 44 countries around the world on December 19, 2023, as well as the statement by the UN Security Council on December 1, 2023, condemning Houthi attacks against commercial vessels transiting the Red Sea, and in light of ongoing attacks, including a significant escalation over the past week targeting commercial vessels, with missiles, small boats, and attempted hijackings,
We hereby reiterate the following and warn the Houthis against further attacks:
Ongoing Houthi attacks in the Red Sea are illegal, unacceptable, and profoundly destabilizing. There is no lawful justification for intentionally targeting civilian shipping and naval vessels. Attacks on vessels, including commercial vessels, using unmanned aerial vehicles, small boats, and missiles, including the first use of anti-ship ballistic missiles against such vessels, are a direct threat to the freedom of navigation that serves as thebedrock of global trade in one of the world’s most critical waterways.
These attacks threaten innocent lives from all over the world and constitute a significant international problem that demands collective action. Nearly 15 percent of global seaborne trade passes through the Red Sea, including 8 percent of global grain trade, 12 percent of seaborne-traded oil and 8 percent of the world’s liquefied natural gas trade. International shipping companies continue to reroute their vessels around the Cape of Good Hope, adding significant cost and weeks of delay to the delivery of goods, and ultimately jeopardizing the movement of critical food, fuel, and humanitarian assistance throughout the world.
Let our message now be clear: we call for the immediate end of these illegal attacks and release of unlawfully detained vessels and crews. The Houthis will bear the responsibility of the consequences should they continue to threaten lives, the global economy, and free flow of commerce in the region’s critical waterways. We remain committed to theinternational rules-based order and are determined to hold malign actors accountable for unlawful seizures and attacks.
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Cover Photo: Ian Taylor @carrier_lost