The US administration, led by Donald Trump, has announced a 90-day suspension of the activities of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), an unprecedented move in the organisation's history. The decision will affect the agency's projects in more than 100 countries worldwide and will call into question the fate of programmes with a total budget exceeding $50 billion.
Since its inception in 1961, USAID has positioned itself as a key instrument of American 'soft power', implementing programmes in the areas of democracy promotion, poverty alleviation, and support for civil society. However, in recent years, the agency's activities have increasingly become a subject of criticism, including from senior figures.
The current suspension of USAID's work is accompanied by a large-scale internal review. According to the Trump administration, a thorough audit of all agency programmes will be conducted within three months. Following the review, only those projects that align with 'American values' and US foreign policy objectives are expected to be resumed.
The decision to suspend USAID's operations has already led to significant personnel changes within the organisation. More than 60 employees, including the security service leadership, have been sacked or suspended from duty.
'USAID is run by radical crazies, and we are removing them, and then we will make a decision', Donald Trump commented on the situation.
Criticism of the agency has also come from influential figures in the technology sector. Elon Musk, Chief Executive of Tesla and SpaceX, made a sharp statement, accusing USAID of funding the development of biological weapons through the organisation EcoHealth Alliance. According to his claim, the agency allocated $53 million for research on coronaviruses at the Wuhan laboratory. In protest, Musk deleted the account of USAID from the social network X.
The suspension of the agency's activities could have serious consequences for many organisations worldwide that receive funding via USAID. This particularly applies to non-governmental organisations, media platforms, and various social projects in developing countries, where the agency has traditionally supported a wide range of initiatives.
The document signed by Trump provides not only for a halt to new funding but also for the freezing of already allocated funds. Exceptions have been made for some programmes, notably military funding for Israel and Egypt.
The current situation surrounding USAID reflects deeper changes in the US approach to international aid and development. This could lead to a significant transformation of the mechanisms of American influence in the world and a rethinking of the role of such agencies in achieving foreign policy goals.
With USAID activities suspended, many grant-receiving organisations will be forced to seek alternative sources of funding or significantly scale down their operations. This could lead to considerable changes in the work of civil society in countries where the agency has traditionally played an important role in supporting various initiatives.