United Nations aid agencies have been sent questionnaires by the US asking them to state if they have “anti-American” beliefs or affiliations.
Among the 36 questions on the form, sent by the US Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and seen by the BBC, is one asking if they have any links to communism.
Some of the world’s biggest humanitarian organisations have received the questionnaire, including the UN Refugee Agency and the International Committee of the Red Cross.
The Trump administration has launched a cost-cutting drive across the US government, led by billionaire Elon Musk, and has closed down much of its foreign aid.
The UN groups fear the move by the OMB is a sign the US is planning to abandon humanitarian work – or even the UN itself – altogether.
The US pulled out of the World Health Organization on the first day of US President Donald Trump’s second term.
And this week, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that the vast majority of the US Agency for International Development’s (USAID) programmes had been terminated.
Surveys indicate that most Americans believe the country overspends on foreign aid.
The US spends a lower percentage of its GDP on aid than European countries but, because of its huge economy, still supplies 40% of global humanitarian funding
Many of the UN aid agencies who were sent the form receive funding, not just from USAID, but directly from the US government.
One question asks: ”Can you confirm that your organisation does not work with entities associated with communist, socialist, or totalitarian parties, or any party that espouses anti-American beliefs?”
Another asks agencies to confirm they don’t receive any funding from China, Russia, Cuba or Iran – these countries may not be Washington’s best friends but, like all 193 UN member states, they fund the big humanitarian agencies.
Other questions ask aid agencies to ensure no project includes any elements of DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) or anything related to climate change.
This could be awkward for agencies like Unicef, which supports equal access to education for girls, or the World Food Programme, which tries to prevent famine by supporting drought affected communities to transition to more climate resilient crops.
Professor Karl Blanchet, of Geneva University’s Centre for Humanitarian Studies, believes the aid agencies are being set up to fail: “The decision has already been made. It’s highly likely the US is going to stop its involvement in any UN system.
“It’s multilateralism versus America first – these are two ends of a spectrum.”
Aid agencies working on complex humanitarian operations are more blunt.
“It’s like being asked ‘have you stopped beating your child, yes or no?'” said one frustrated aid worker.
The UN aid agencies believe the questionnaire misunderstands their core principles of neutrality and impartiality – that people suffering because of war or natural disaster should be helped regardless of political beliefs, and that aid should not be used as a tool to strengthen one particular nation.
UN Human Rights has already chosen not to fill out the form.
“Given they were mostly yes/no questions with very limited room for elaboration, and that some of the questions were not applicable to the UN, we were not in a position to reply directly to the online questionnaires,” a spokesperson told the BBC.
“Instead, we provided replies by email with explanations to those questions where we could provide a response.”
Some of the questions also reflect the economic interests of President Trump’s administration.
There is a query about projects which might affect “efforts to strengthen US supply chains or secure rare earth minerals”.
The BBC has approached the OMB and the US missions at the United Nations in New York and Geneva for comment.
