Belgium’s diplomatic efforts to free millions of condoms and HIV drugs stored in a USAID warehouse in Geel have been unsuccessful, according to reports in De Standaard and Gazet van Antwerpen on Friday.
Since early this year, a massive stockpile of contraceptives and medications from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has been stranded in a warehouse in the Flemish town.
The inventory includes over 26 million condoms and millions of packets of oral, injectable, and implantable contraceptives. Additionally, more than 50,000 bottles of HIV inhibitors are part of the stock—a collection valued at €8.4 million.
USAID had originally intended to distribute the supplies to partner nations with underdeveloped healthcare systems. However, in January, then-US President Donald Trump halted USAID’s funding. A month later, the agency was dismantled, leaving the stockpile in Geel in limbo.
To prevent the potential destruction of the items in an incinerator, Belgium’s Foreign Affairs Ministry initiated a diplomatic campaign in the following months. Foreign Minister Maxime Prévot even wrote to his American counterpart, Marco Rubio.
"We have also actively mediated between the US and third parties interested in taking over the stock," said a ministry spokesperson to De Standaard.
Despite these efforts, no resolution has been found. "We continue to face fundamental policy differences with the US," the ministry stated. The future of the medical supplies remains uncertain.
