The US has sent questionnaires to UN aid agencies asking if they have any “anti-American” beliefs or affiliations. The questionnaires, sent by the US Office of Management and Budget (OMB), ask if the agencies have any links to communism or if they receive funding from countries such as China, Russia, Cuba, or Iran. The US has also launched a cost-cutting drive across its government and closed down much of its foreign aid. The UN groups fear that the OMB’s move is a sign that the US is planning to abandon humanitarian work or the UN itself. The US has already pulled out of the World Health Organization and terminated most of its USAID programs. Surveys indicate that most Americans believe their country overspends on foreign aid. While the US spends a lower percentage of its GDP on aid than European countries, it still supplies 40% of global humanitarian funding. The UN aid agencies that have received the questionnaire also receive funding from the US government. The questions also ask if the agencies work with entities associated with communist, socialist, or totalitarian parties or have any elements of DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) or anything related to climate change. Professor Karl Blanchet believes the aid agencies are being set up to fail and that the US is choosing a “America first” approach over multilateralism. Some aid agencies have already chosen not to fill out the form.

Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c70enzddxywo