‘A blank spot’ on the map of USAID areas of support – A preliminary assessment of the consequences of USAID funding cuts for civil society organizations in Poland and an analysis of the gaps in media discourses regarding the situation in Poland and EU’s East from a decolonial perspective

On 20 January 2025, the newly sworn-in President of the United States, Donald Trump, announced the suspension of US international aid under the US Agency for International Development (USAID) program and it was definitively closed shortly thereafter. Although media attention focused primarily on how the suspension of the USAID program affects the situation in countries and communities in the global South, the US president’s decision also has an impact on Poland and the wider region East of EUrope. The objective of this project is to carry out a preliminary diagnosis of the situation of civil society organizations (CSO’s) in Poland that have been affected by the closing of USAID funding and to analyze media discourses, particularly outside Poland, with a view to how the situation in Poland and the region East of EUrope was represented. The proposed study is qualitative in nature, we plan approximately twenty interviews with representatives of CSO’s in Poland that address how the decision to close the USAID program has affected the situation of CSO’s in Poland and their ability to carry out key activities, such as supporting refugees, migrants and LGBTQ+ people, or activities promoting civil society and democracy. Furthermore, the study includes a preliminary analysis of media narratives, primarily foreign media, concerning the decision to close the USAID program with the aim of reviewing to what extent regions East of EUrope were present in these media narratives and, if so, how were they represented.

Duration

2025 - 2026

Source of funding

Centre of Excellence in Social Sciences IDUB UW