Subject: Social Media/Online Conduct, Awareness and Best Practices
Dear Implementing Partners,
USAID takes conduct on social media very seriously given the potential risks to U.S. development and foreign policy objectives. This notice serves as a reminder of guidelines regarding social media and online activity (reference made to USAID/WBG IP notice # No. 2022-WBG-04 ‘Social Media Awareness’). We encourage you to share and reaffirm the following guidance with your staff.
When you post your own statements or images, or re-post those of others, on social media or other online platforms, you are publicly publishing your opinion whether it be through a statement, comment, “Like” or any other means of indicating agreement or disagreement with a particular viewpoint, images or statement(s). For an individual who chooses to post, re-post or otherwise engage on social media we recommend that you not identify yourself as associated with an Implementing Partner associated with USAID. It is also crucial to understand that you must never identify yourself as an employee of USAID.
If you choose to identify yourself as employed or affiliated with an Implementing Partner associated with USAID, you must understand that you are linking your employer and USAID to your public comments. If you do so, you must include a disclaimer in the post that the opinions and beliefs expressed are yours alone and not the opinions or beliefs of your employer, USAID or the USG. However, even with inclusion of a disclaimer, you are expected to use good judgment when creating a public record of your comments, opinions or beliefs. Even if you do not tag or mention USAID in your social media profile, if you are known to be employed by an Implementing Partner affiliated with USAID, your public comments may be linked to your employer, the project you are working on and to USAID. As a rule of thumb, please ask yourself if you would feel comfortable making your comment to a reporter on behalf of your employer and then seeing it published internationally. In other words, if you wouldn’t say it to a reporter, it likely should not be published/posted online.
Implementing Partners are requested to review their internal policies – including personnel policies and codes of conduct – to ensure they are relevant to today’s social media and online context. As part of the U.S. Government, USAID employees must adhere to the requirements in 5 FAM 790. While the Foreign Affairs Manual does not apply to Implementing Partners, you are encouraged to consider best practices with your internal policies and procedures related to personal as well as work-related social media usage by employees, considering such topics as:
- Whether personal social media usage may affect the implementing partner’s performance of USAID awards, including expressing messages contrary to achieving the objectives of the award;
- Whether social media posts may create a reputational or security risk to the implementing partner, USAID, the U.S. government, or our counterparts;
- Whether relations with key stakeholders may be adversely affected by social media posts;
- Whether proprietary or otherwise sensitive information may be disclosed by an employee;
- Whether work-related social media accounts comport with branding and marking requirements;
- Whether social media privacy settings are appropriate;
- Whether recruitment policies consider social media activities.
Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to your respective COR/AOR or OCM point of contact.
