United Nations aid agencies have sent a survey from the United States asking them to state whether they have “anti-American” beliefs and affiliations.
Some of the 36 questions about the forms that were submitted by the US Management and Budget Office (OMB) and viewed by the BBC ask if there is a link to communism.
Some of the world’s largest humanitarian organizations received a survey. This includes the United Nations Refugee Agency and the International Committee of the Red Cross outside the United Nations.
The Trump administration has launched a willingness to cut costs for the US government, led by billionaire Elon Musk, shutting down much of its foreign aid.
The UN group fears that the move by the OMB is a sign that the United States plans to abandon humanitarian activities, or the United Nations itself, altogether.
The United States withdrew from the World Health Organization on the first day of President Donald Trump’s second term.
And this week, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that the majority of the US Organization for International Development (USAID) program has concluded.
Research shows that most Americans believe the country is accepting foreign aid.
The US spends more GDP on aid than European countries, but it supplies 40% of global humanitarian funds due to its huge economy
Many of the UN aid agencies sent to the form receive funds directly from the US government, not just from the USAID.
One question is, “Can you confirm that your organization is not collaborating with entities related to communists, socialists, or totalitarians?
Ask the agency to ensure that other people do not receive funds from China, Russia, Cuba or Iran. These countries may not be Washington’s best friends, but like all 193 UN member states, they fund large humanitarian agencies.
Other questions ask aid agencies to ensure that they do not include projects that contain elements of DEI (diversity, equity, inclusion) or related to climate change.
This can be troubling for agencies like UNICEF, which supports equal access to girls’ education, and for agencies like the global food programme, which seeks to prevent hunger by supporting drought-affected communities and moving towards more climate-resilient crops.
Professor Carl Blanchet of the Humanitarian Studies Centre at the University of Geneva, believes that aid institutions are set to fail.
“It’s America’s first multilateralism. These are both ends of the spectrum.”
Aid agencies tackling complex humanitarian operations are even more dull.
“It’s like being asked, ‘Have you stopped beating your child, is that so?’,” the frustrated aid worker said.
The UN aid agencies believe the survey misunderstands the core principles of neutrality and equity – those suffering from war and natural disasters should be helped regardless of their political beliefs, and that aid should not be used as a tool to strengthen a particular country.
UN Human Rights has already chosen not to fill out the form.
“They were mainly very limited questions with limited elaborate room and given that some questions didn’t apply to the United Nations, we were not in a position to respond directly to the online survey,” a spokesman told the BBC.
“Instead, I emailed an explanation to the questions that could be provided with an answer.”
Some of the questions also reflect the economic interests of President Trump’s administration.
I have questions about projects that could impact “efforts to strengthen the US supply chain and safeguard rare earth minerals.”
The BBC approached OMB and US missions at the United Nations in New York and Geneva for comment.
