United States Agency for International Development
Encyclopedia
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is the United States federal government
agency primarily responsible for administering civilian foreign aid. President John F. Kennedy created USAID in 1961 by executive order to implement development assistance programs in the areas authorized by the Congress in the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961. An independent federal agency
, USAID receives overall foreign policy guidance from the United States Secretary of State
and seeks to "extend a helping hand to those people overseas struggling to make a better life, recover from a disaster or striving to live in a free and democratic
country."
USAID's stated goals include providing "economic, development and humanitarian assistance around the world in support of the foreign policy goals of the United States". It operates in Sub-Saharan Africa
; Asia
and the Near East
, Latin America
and the Caribbean
, Europe
, and Eurasia
.
After 1945, the USG institutionalized its foreign assistance with the creation of the Economic Cooperation Administration (ECA). The ECA implemented the European Recovery Program championed by Secretary of State George Marshall
(the "Marshall Plan
") to help rebuild war-torn Western Europe.
The Marshall Plan was cut short on June 30, 1951 to re-direct foreign aid in light of the Korean War. On October 31, 1951, Congress passed the first Mutual Security Act and created the Mutual Security Agency (MSA) to manage foreign assistance. In 1953 at the end of the Korean War, the Foreign Operations Administration (FOA) was established as an independent government agency outside the Department of State to consolidate economic and technical assistance on a world-wide basis. Its responsibilities were merged into the International Cooperation Administration
(ICA) one year later.
In 1961, the Congress approved the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 at President Kennedy's initiative, merging the ICA and other foreign aid entities into USAID as a new agency dedicated to development as a long-term effort requiring country-by-country planning and a commitment of resources on a multi-year basis.
During the early 1970s, foreign aid became one of the focal points in Legislative-Executive differences over the Vietnam War
. In September 1970, President Nixon proposed abolishing USAID and replacing it with three new institutions: one for development loans, one for technical assistance and research, and one for trade, investment and financial policy. The Congress did not act on the proposal and in 1973, Congress adopted a USAID proposal for "New Directions" in foreign aid. By amending the Foreign Assistance Act, the Congress provided that U.S. aid should emphasize "Basic Human Needs": food and nutrition; population planning and health; and education and human resources development. President Nixon signed the "New Directions" act into law (PL 93-189) in December 1973. In 1978, legislation drafted at the request of Senator Hubert Humphrey was introduced to create a Cabinet-level International Development Cooperation Agency (IDCA). IDCA's intended role was to supervise USAID in place of the State Department. However, although IDCA was established by Executive Order in September, 1979, it did not in practice separate USAID from the State Department.
In 1995, legislation to abolish USAID was introduced once again, this time by Senator Jesse Helms, the Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He wanted to replace it with a grant-making foundation. Although the House of Representatives passed a bill abolishing USAID, the measure did not become law. In order to gain Congressional cooperation for his foreign affairs agenda in 1997, President Clinton adopted a State Department proposal to integrate more foreign affairs agencies into the Department. The "Foreign Affairs Agencies Consolidation Act of 1998" (Division G of PL 105-277), in addition to abolishing the Arms Control and Disarmament Agency and the United States Information Agency (which formerly maintained American libraries overseas), also abolished IDCA, making USAID more formally dependent on State. In addition, the law provided the President the options of abolishing USAID or integrating its ten-person press office into the State Department. However, USAID was to continue to manage the budget for development.
In 2003, President Bush established PEPFAR, the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, putting USAID's HIV/AIDS programs under the direction of the State Department's new Office of the Global AIDS Coordinator. Then, in 2004, the Bush Administration created the Millennium Challenge Corporation
(MCC) as a new foreign aid agency to provide financial assistance to a limited number of countries selected for good performance in socioeconomic development. The MCC also finances some USAID-administered development assistance projects.
In January 2006, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice created the Office of the Director of U.S. Foreign Assistance ('F') within the State Department. F's purpose is to ensure that foreign assistance is used as much as possible to meet foreign policy objectives. Under a Director with the rank of Deputy Secretary, F integrated foreign assistance planning and resource management across State and USAID, directing all USAID offices' budgets according to a detailed "Standardized Program Structure" comprising hundreds of "Program Sub-Elements." USAID accordingly closed its office responsible for overall budgeting and development policy..
The following year, USAID launched the "Development Leadership Initiative" to reverse the precipitous decline in USAID's Foreign Service Officer staffing, which had fallen to fewer than 1,000 worldwide. USAID's goal is to double the number of Foreign Service Officers by 2012. (USAID's total U.S. staff under career-length contracts, including Civil Service employees, started in 1962 at about 8,600 and was about 2,900 in 2009.)
On September 22, 2010, President Barack Obama
signed a classified Presidential Policy Determination (PPD) on Global Development. As described by an unclassified fact sheet, the PD promises to elevate the role of development assistance within U.S. policy and rebuild "USAID as the U.S. Government’s lead development agency." It also establishes an Interagency Policy Committee on Global Development led by the National Security Staff and adds to U.S. development efforts an emphasis on innovation. A few months later, on December 21, 2010, Secretary of State Clinton released the Quadrennial Diplomacy and Development Review (QDDR). The QDDR reaffirms the plan to re-build USAID's Foreign Service staffing while also emphasizing the increased role that staff from the State Department and domestic agencies will play in implementing U.S. assistance. In addition, it lays out a program for a future transfer of health sector assistance back from the State Department to USAID.
Consistent with this evolving policy environment, USAID re-created in mid-2010 a development planning office, the Bureau of Policy, Planning, and Learning, and on November 23, 2010, announced the creation of a new Bureau for Food Security to lead the implementation of President Obama's Feed the Future Initiative, which was formerly managed by the State Department.
As countries develop and need less assistance, USAID shrinks and ultimately closes its resident missions. Since USAID's founding in 1961, it has closed its missions in a number of countries including South Korea, Turkey, Tunisia, and Costa Rica.
USAID missions are led by Mission Directors and are staffed both by USAID Foreign Service Officers and by development professionals from the country itself, with the host-country professionals forming a majority of the staff. The length of a foreign-service "tour" in most countries is four years, to give U.S. staff the opportunity to develop in-depth knowledge about the country. (Shorter tours of one or two years are permitted in countries of exceptional hardship or danger.)
Assistance projects in each country are authorized by the Mission Director under the direction of the U.S. Ambassador, USAID and State Department headquarters, and the Congress. The resident USAID mission administers and evaluates the assistance.
USAID's country programs are supported by USAID's headquarters in Washington, D.C., where about half of USAID's Foreign Service Officers work on rotation from foreign assignments, alongside USAID's Civil Service staff and top leadership.
, appointed by President Barack Obama
.
USAID's headquarters in Washington, D.C. is organized into "Bureaus" covering geographical areas, development subject areas, and administrative functions. Each Bureau is headed by an Assistant Administrator appointed by the President.
Independent oversight of USAID activities is provided by its Office of Inspector General
. USAID OIG
conducts criminal and civil investigations, financial and performance audits, reviews, inspections, and evaluations of USAID activities around the world.
USAID's host-country staff, who normally receive one-year contracts that are renewed annually, comprised fifty-seven percent of the Agency's global workforce in 2009.
USAID Foreign Service Officers, who currently number about 1,700 (compared to 13,000 in the State Department), are selected competitively for specific job openings on the basis of academic qualifications and experience in development programs.
.
USAID uses capacity building
to address climate change in developing countries. Capacity building involves raising awareness about the impending threats caused by climate change. It also involves education, outreach and technical skills training as well as workshops that teach about clean energy, and sustainable agriculture.
USAID uses a capacity building technique because they have found that directly involved peoples carry out the most successful environmental campaigns. The direct involvement of trained stakeholders; means that projects will be continued even after USAID’s direct representatives have left.
Programs of the six types above frequently reinforce one another. For example, the Foreign Assistance Act requires USAID to use funds appropriated for geopolitical purposes ("Economic Support Funds") to support socio-economic development to the maximum extent possible.
The various forms of technical assistance are frequently coordinated as packages to support the institutional development programs of developing country leaders.
In recent years, the USG has increased its emphasis on financial assistance in place of technical assistance. In 2004, the Bush Administration created the Millennium Challenge Corporation as a new foreign aid agency that is mainly restricted to providing financial assistance. In 2009, the Obama Administration initiated a major realignment of USAID's own programs to emphasize financial assistance, referring to it as "government-to-government" or "G2G" assistance.
's leadership, the agency has embarked on an ambitious reform agenda called USAID Forward. The reform agenda aims to change the way the Agency does business-with new partnerships, an emphasis on innovation and a relentless focus on results. It provides USAID the opportunity to transform its agency and unleash its full potential to achieve high-impact development. The USAID Forward package includes the following reforms in key areas: implementation and procurement reform, talent management, rebuilding policy capacity, strengthening monitoring and evaluation, rebuilding budget management, science and technology, and innovation.
The U.S. Government's 150 Account funds the budgets of all International Affairs programs and operations for civilian agencies, including USAID. In FY 2009, the Bush Administration's request for the International Affairs Budget for the Department of State, USAID, and other foreign affairs agencies totaled approximately $39.5 billion, including $26.1 billion for Foreign Operations and Related Agencies, $11.2 billion for Department of State, and $2.2 billion for Other International Affairs.
The request under the FY2009 Foreign Operations budget, Foreign Operations and Related Agencies was:
At the Earth Summit
in Rio de Janeiro
in 1992, most of the world's governments adopted a program for action under the auspices of the United Nations Agenda 21
, which included an Official Development Assistance (ODA) aid target of 0.7% of gross national product (GNP) for rich nations, specified as roughly 22 members of the OECD and known as the Development Assistance Committee (DAC). The United States never agreed to this target but remains in real terms the world's largest provider of official development assistance. However, relative to its economy, the U.S. is the second lowest provider with a 0.17% of GNI in aid. Only Greece, among the DAC countries, provides a lower percentage of GNI in the form of aid.
According to the Development Assistance Committee of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (DAC/OECD), the United States remains the largest donor of "official development assistance" at $23.53 billion in 2006. DAC/OECD reports that the next largest donor was the United Kingdom ($12.46b). The UK was followed (in rank order) by Japan ($11.19b), France ($10.60b), Germany ($10.43b), Netherlands ($5.45b), Sweden ($3.95b), Spain ($3.81b), Canada ($3.68b), Italy ($3.64b), Norway ($2.95b), Denmark ($2.24b), Australia ($2.12b), Belgium ($1.98b), Switzerland ($1.65b), Austria ($1.50b), Ireland ($1.02b), Finland ($0.83b), Greece ($0.42b), Portugal ($0.40b), Luxembourg ($0.29b) and New Zealand ($0.26b).
USAID contributed to relief in the 2010 Haiti Earthquake
.
Response to 2010 Haiti earthquake
Dr. Rajiv Shah
became Administrator of USAID, shortly before the January 2010 earthquake in Haiti
. In response, USAID and other agencies, began working to help Haiti recover and rebuild. Together with the international community and the Government of Haiti, Dr. Shah led USAID to help provide safer housing for almost 200,000 displaced Haitians; supported vaccinations for more than 1 million people; cleared more than 1.3 million cubic meters of the approximately 10 million cubic meters of rubble generated; helped more than 10,000 farmers double the yields of staples like corn, beans, and sorghum; and provided short-term employment to more than 350,000 Haitians, injecting more than $19 million into the local economy. USAID has provided nearly $42 million to help combat cholera, helping to decrease the number of cases requiring hospitalization and reduce the case fatality rate.
Rebuilding Iraq C-SPAN 4 Part Series
In June 2003, C-SPAN
followed USAID Admin. Andrew Natsios
as he toured Iraq. The special program C-SPAN produced aired over four nights.
growers union affiliated with Bolivia
n President Evo Morales
ejected the 100 employees and contractors from USAID working in the Chapare
region, citing frustration with U.S. efforts to persuade them to switch to growing unviable alternatives. From 1998 to 2003, Bolivian farmers could receive USAID funding for help planting other crops only if they eliminated all their coca, according to the Andean Information Network
. Other rules, such as the requirement that participating communities declare themselves "terrorist-free zones" as required by U.S. law
irritated people, said Kathryn Ledebur, director of the organization. "Eradicate all your coca and then you grow an orange tree that will get fruit in eight years but you don't have anything to eat in the meantime? A bad idea," she said. "The thing about kicking out USAID, I don't think it's an anti-American sentiment overall but rather a rejection of bad programs".
, along with Dr. Jill Biden
and Ad Council
, launched the FWD
campaign to raise awareness about the severe famine, war, and drought affecting over 13 million people in the Horn of Africa
. Through televised and online PSAs, as well as social media initiatives, FWD encouraged Americans to spread awareness of the crisis, support the humanitarian organizations conducting the relief operations, and learn more about the solutions through President Barack Obama’s Feed the Future initiative to combat hunger and provide food security. Celebrities Geena Davis
, Uma Thurman
, Josh Hartnett
, and Chanel Iman
supported the campaign via a series of Public Service Announcements. Meanwhile, corporations like Cargill
, General Mills
, PepsiCo. and General Mills
signed on to support the FWD campaign.
Although USAID officially selects contractors on a competitive and objective basis, watch dog groups, politicians, foreign governments and corporations have occasionally accused the agency of allowing its bidding process to be unduly influenced by the political and financial interests of its current Presidential administration. Under the Bush administration, for instance, it emerged that all five implementing partners selected to bid on a $600 million Iraq reconstruction contract enjoyed close ties to the administration.. Under the Obama Administration, it emerged that much money was being used to subsidize the building of Mosques in foreign lands..
Some critics say that the US government gives aid to reward political and military partners rather than to advance genuine social or humanitarian causes abroad. Another complaint is that foreign aid is used as a political weapon for the U.S. to make other nations do things its way, an example given in 1990 when the Yemen
i Ambassador to the United Nations, Abdullah Saleh al-Ashtal
, voted against a resolution for a US-led coalition to use force against Iraq, U.S. Ambassador to the UN Thomas Pickering
walked to the seat of the Yemeni Ambassador and retorted: "That was the most expensive No vote you ever cast". Immediately afterwards, USAID ceased operations and funding in Yemen.
It has been said that in the 1960s and early 1970s USAID has maintained "a close working relationship with the CIA, and Agency officers often operated abroad under USAID cover." The 1960s-era Office of Public Safety
, a now-disbanded division of USAID, has been mentioned as an example of this, having served as a front for training foreign police in counterinsurgency methods.
Folha de São Paulo, Brazil's largest newspaper, accused USAID of trying to influence political reform in Brazil in a way that would have purposely benefited right-wing parties. USAID spent $95,000 US in 2005 on a seminar in the Brazilian Congress to promote a reform whose aim was to push for legislation to punish party infidelity. According to USAID papers acquired by Folha under the Freedom of Information Act
, the seminar was planned so as to coincide with the eve of talks in that country's Congress on a broad political reform. The papers read that although the "pattern of weak party discipline is found across the political spectrum, it is somewhat less true of parties on the liberal left, such as the [ruling] Worker's Party." The papers also expressed a concern about the "'indigenization' of the conference so that it is not viewed as providing a U.S. perspective." The event's main sponsor was the International Republican Institute
.
In December 2009, Alan Gross, a contractor for USAID, was arrested in Cuba
. He and US government officials claim Gross was helping to deliver internet access to the Jewish community on the island, however the head of the Jewish community in Cuba, Adela Dworin, denies any knowledge of Gross and says that recognized international Jewish organizations have provided them with legal Internet connections. Cuban officials have said that Gross remains under investigation on suspicion of espionage and importing prohibited satellite communications equipment (known as a BGAN
) to Cuban dissidents. Gross was convicted by Cuban courts and sentenced to fifteen years in prison for bringing communications equipment onto the island nation.
Federal government of the United States
The federal government of the United States is the national government of the constitutional republic of fifty states that is the United States of America. The federal government comprises three distinct branches of government: a legislative, an executive and a judiciary. These branches and...
agency primarily responsible for administering civilian foreign aid. President John F. Kennedy created USAID in 1961 by executive order to implement development assistance programs in the areas authorized by the Congress in the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961. An independent federal agency
Independent agencies of the United States government
Independent agencies of the United States federal government are those agencies that exist outside of the federal executive departments...
, USAID receives overall foreign policy guidance from the United States Secretary of State
United States Secretary of State
The United States Secretary of State is the head of the United States Department of State, concerned with foreign affairs. The Secretary is a member of the Cabinet and the highest-ranking cabinet secretary both in line of succession and order of precedence...
and seeks to "extend a helping hand to those people overseas struggling to make a better life, recover from a disaster or striving to live in a free and democratic
Democracy
Democracy is generally defined as a form of government in which all adult citizens have an equal say in the decisions that affect their lives. Ideally, this includes equal participation in the proposal, development and passage of legislation into law...
country."
USAID's stated goals include providing "economic, development and humanitarian assistance around the world in support of the foreign policy goals of the United States". It operates in Sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa as a geographical term refers to the area of the African continent which lies south of the Sahara. A political definition of Sub-Saharan Africa, instead, covers all African countries which are fully or partially located south of the Sahara...
; Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
and the Near East
Near East
The Near East is a geographical term that covers different countries for geographers, archeologists, and historians, on the one hand, and for political scientists, economists, and journalists, on the other...
, Latin America
Latin America
Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
and the Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
, Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, and Eurasia
Eurasia
Eurasia is a continent or supercontinent comprising the traditional continents of Europe and Asia ; covering about 52,990,000 km2 or about 10.6% of the Earth's surface located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres...
.
From the ECA to USAID
The U.S. Government has long provided foreign assistance for specific needs. In 1915, the Commission for Relief of Belgium headed by Herbert Hoover prevented starvation in Belgium after the German invasion.After 1945, the USG institutionalized its foreign assistance with the creation of the Economic Cooperation Administration (ECA). The ECA implemented the European Recovery Program championed by Secretary of State George Marshall
George Marshall
George Catlett Marshall was an American military leader, Chief of Staff of the Army, Secretary of State, and the third Secretary of Defense...
(the "Marshall Plan
Marshall Plan
The Marshall Plan was the large-scale American program to aid Europe where the United States gave monetary support to help rebuild European economies after the end of World War II in order to combat the spread of Soviet communism. The plan was in operation for four years beginning in April 1948...
") to help rebuild war-torn Western Europe.
The Marshall Plan was cut short on June 30, 1951 to re-direct foreign aid in light of the Korean War. On October 31, 1951, Congress passed the first Mutual Security Act and created the Mutual Security Agency (MSA) to manage foreign assistance. In 1953 at the end of the Korean War, the Foreign Operations Administration (FOA) was established as an independent government agency outside the Department of State to consolidate economic and technical assistance on a world-wide basis. Its responsibilities were merged into the International Cooperation Administration
International Cooperation Administration
The International Cooperation Administration was established by the U.S. State Department Delegation of Authority 85, June 30, 1955, pursuant to EO 10610, May 9, 1955. The predecessor to this administration was the Foreign Operations Administration . Both oganizations coordinated foreign...
(ICA) one year later.
In 1961, the Congress approved the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 at President Kennedy's initiative, merging the ICA and other foreign aid entities into USAID as a new agency dedicated to development as a long-term effort requiring country-by-country planning and a commitment of resources on a multi-year basis.
Evolution
The organizational structure of U.S. civilian foreign assistance continues to evolve.During the early 1970s, foreign aid became one of the focal points in Legislative-Executive differences over the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
. In September 1970, President Nixon proposed abolishing USAID and replacing it with three new institutions: one for development loans, one for technical assistance and research, and one for trade, investment and financial policy. The Congress did not act on the proposal and in 1973, Congress adopted a USAID proposal for "New Directions" in foreign aid. By amending the Foreign Assistance Act, the Congress provided that U.S. aid should emphasize "Basic Human Needs": food and nutrition; population planning and health; and education and human resources development. President Nixon signed the "New Directions" act into law (PL 93-189) in December 1973. In 1978, legislation drafted at the request of Senator Hubert Humphrey was introduced to create a Cabinet-level International Development Cooperation Agency (IDCA). IDCA's intended role was to supervise USAID in place of the State Department. However, although IDCA was established by Executive Order in September, 1979, it did not in practice separate USAID from the State Department.
In 1995, legislation to abolish USAID was introduced once again, this time by Senator Jesse Helms, the Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He wanted to replace it with a grant-making foundation. Although the House of Representatives passed a bill abolishing USAID, the measure did not become law. In order to gain Congressional cooperation for his foreign affairs agenda in 1997, President Clinton adopted a State Department proposal to integrate more foreign affairs agencies into the Department. The "Foreign Affairs Agencies Consolidation Act of 1998" (Division G of PL 105-277), in addition to abolishing the Arms Control and Disarmament Agency and the United States Information Agency (which formerly maintained American libraries overseas), also abolished IDCA, making USAID more formally dependent on State. In addition, the law provided the President the options of abolishing USAID or integrating its ten-person press office into the State Department. However, USAID was to continue to manage the budget for development.
In 2003, President Bush established PEPFAR, the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, putting USAID's HIV/AIDS programs under the direction of the State Department's new Office of the Global AIDS Coordinator. Then, in 2004, the Bush Administration created the Millennium Challenge Corporation
Millennium Challenge Corporation
The Millennium Challenge Corporation is a bilateral United States foreign aid agency created by the George W. Bush administration in 2004, applying a new philosophy towards foreign aid.-Background and formation:...
(MCC) as a new foreign aid agency to provide financial assistance to a limited number of countries selected for good performance in socioeconomic development. The MCC also finances some USAID-administered development assistance projects.
In January 2006, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice created the Office of the Director of U.S. Foreign Assistance ('F') within the State Department. F's purpose is to ensure that foreign assistance is used as much as possible to meet foreign policy objectives. Under a Director with the rank of Deputy Secretary, F integrated foreign assistance planning and resource management across State and USAID, directing all USAID offices' budgets according to a detailed "Standardized Program Structure" comprising hundreds of "Program Sub-Elements." USAID accordingly closed its office responsible for overall budgeting and development policy..
The following year, USAID launched the "Development Leadership Initiative" to reverse the precipitous decline in USAID's Foreign Service Officer staffing, which had fallen to fewer than 1,000 worldwide. USAID's goal is to double the number of Foreign Service Officers by 2012. (USAID's total U.S. staff under career-length contracts, including Civil Service employees, started in 1962 at about 8,600 and was about 2,900 in 2009.)
On September 22, 2010, President Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
signed a classified Presidential Policy Determination (PPD) on Global Development. As described by an unclassified fact sheet, the PD promises to elevate the role of development assistance within U.S. policy and rebuild "USAID as the U.S. Government’s lead development agency." It also establishes an Interagency Policy Committee on Global Development led by the National Security Staff and adds to U.S. development efforts an emphasis on innovation. A few months later, on December 21, 2010, Secretary of State Clinton released the Quadrennial Diplomacy and Development Review (QDDR). The QDDR reaffirms the plan to re-build USAID's Foreign Service staffing while also emphasizing the increased role that staff from the State Department and domestic agencies will play in implementing U.S. assistance. In addition, it lays out a program for a future transfer of health sector assistance back from the State Department to USAID.
Consistent with this evolving policy environment, USAID re-created in mid-2010 a development planning office, the Bureau of Policy, Planning, and Learning, and on November 23, 2010, announced the creation of a new Bureau for Food Security to lead the implementation of President Obama's Feed the Future Initiative, which was formerly managed by the State Department.
Internal organization
USAID is organized around its headquarters in Washington, DC, and resident offices in developing countries ("missions").Country development programs
USAID plans its work around individual country development programs tailored to the recipient countries. USAID missions reside in over fifty developing countries, consulting with each country's government and non-governmental organizations to determine which of their programs will receive USAID's assistance. As part of this process, USAID missions conduct socioeconomic analysis, design projects, award contracts and grants, administer projects (including evaluation and reporting), and manage flows of funds.As countries develop and need less assistance, USAID shrinks and ultimately closes its resident missions. Since USAID's founding in 1961, it has closed its missions in a number of countries including South Korea, Turkey, Tunisia, and Costa Rica.
USAID missions are led by Mission Directors and are staffed both by USAID Foreign Service Officers and by development professionals from the country itself, with the host-country professionals forming a majority of the staff. The length of a foreign-service "tour" in most countries is four years, to give U.S. staff the opportunity to develop in-depth knowledge about the country. (Shorter tours of one or two years are permitted in countries of exceptional hardship or danger.)
Assistance projects in each country are authorized by the Mission Director under the direction of the U.S. Ambassador, USAID and State Department headquarters, and the Congress. The resident USAID mission administers and evaluates the assistance.
USAID's country programs are supported by USAID's headquarters in Washington, D.C., where about half of USAID's Foreign Service Officers work on rotation from foreign assignments, alongside USAID's Civil Service staff and top leadership.
USAID/Washington
USAID is headed by an Administrator appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate. The current USAID Administrator is Rajiv ShahRajiv Shah
Rajiv “Raj” Shah is the Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development . He was confirmed by the Senate on December 24, 2009, replacing acting chief Alonzo Fulgham, making him the highest-ranking Indian American in any presidential administration...
, appointed by President Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
.
USAID's headquarters in Washington, D.C. is organized into "Bureaus" covering geographical areas, development subject areas, and administrative functions. Each Bureau is headed by an Assistant Administrator appointed by the President.
- Geographical bureaus:
- AFR—Sub-Saharan Africa
- ASIA—Asia
- LAC—Latin America & the Caribbean
- E&E—Europe and Eurasia
- ME—the Middle East
- OAPA—Afghanistan and Pakistan
- Functional bureaus:
- GH—Global Health
- EGAT—Economic Growth, Agriculture, and Trade
- DCHA—Democracy, Conflict, and Humanitarian Assistance
- BFS—Food Security
- Headquarter bureaus:
- M—Management
- LPA—Legislative and Public Affairs
- PPL—Policy, Planning, and Learning.
Independent oversight of USAID activities is provided by its Office of Inspector General
Office of Inspector General, U.S. Agency for International Development
The U.S. Agency for International Development Office of Inspector General operates under the Inspector General Act of 1978, as amended. OIG is responsible for detecting and preventing fraud, waste, abuse, and violations of law and to promote economy, efficiency and effectiveness in the...
. USAID OIG
Office of Inspector General, U.S. Agency for International Development
The U.S. Agency for International Development Office of Inspector General operates under the Inspector General Act of 1978, as amended. OIG is responsible for detecting and preventing fraud, waste, abuse, and violations of law and to promote economy, efficiency and effectiveness in the...
conducts criminal and civil investigations, financial and performance audits, reviews, inspections, and evaluations of USAID activities around the world.
USAID Staffing
USAID's global "direct-hire" staff—those with career contracts—includes Civil Service staff in Washington as well as U.S. Foreign Service Officers. The size of this staff was about 2,900 in 2009. An additional 400 U.S. staff work under contracts for shorter periods, typically two-to-three years. (By comparison, the State Department's U.S. workforce currently numbers about 19,000.)USAID's host-country staff, who normally receive one-year contracts that are renewed annually, comprised fifty-seven percent of the Agency's global workforce in 2009.
USAID Foreign Service Officers, who currently number about 1,700 (compared to 13,000 in the State Department), are selected competitively for specific job openings on the basis of academic qualifications and experience in development programs.
USAID's goals
Among USG agencies, USAID has preeminent ability to administer programs in low-income countries through its decentralized network of resident field missions, making the Agency essential for managing USG programs in low-income countries. These USG programs serve a range of purposes.- Disaster relief
- Poverty relief
- Technical cooperation on global issues
- U.S. bilateral interests
- Socioeconomic development
- Environment
Disaster relief
The U.S. Government's earliest foreign aid programs provided relief in crises created by war. In 1915, USG assistance through the Commission for Relief of Belgium headed by Herbert Hoover prevented starvation in Belgium after the German invasion. After 1945, the European Recovery Program championed by Secretary of State George Marshall (the "Marshall Plan") helped rebuild war-torn Western Europe. In our era, USAID leads USG relief efforts after wars and natural disasters through its Office for Foreign Disaster Assistance. Private U.S. relief contributions work through charitable NGOs. The U.S. military also plays a major role in disaster relief overseas.Poverty relief
After 1945, many newly independent countries needed assistance to relieve the chronic deprivation afflicting their low-income populations. Since its founding in 1961, USAID has continuously provided poverty relief in many forms, including assistance to public health and education services targeted at the poorest. USAID has also helped manage agricultural commodity assistance provided by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. In addition, USAID provides funding to NGOs to supplement private donations in relieving chronic poverty.Technical cooperation on global issues
Technical cooperation between nations is essential for addressing a range of cross-border interests like communicable diseases, environmental issues, trade and investment cooperation, safety standards for traded products, money laundering, and so forth. The USG has specialized agencies dealing with such areas, such as the Centers for Disease Control and the Environmental Protection Agency. USAID's unique ability to administer programs in low-income countries supports all USG civilian agencies' work on these vital global concerns.U.S. bilateral interests
To support U.S. geopolitical interests, USAID is often called upon to administer exceptional financial grants to allies. Also, when U.S. troops are in the field, USAID can supplement the "Civil Affairs" programs that the U.S. military conducts to win the friendship of local populations and thus to undermine insurgent support. In these circumstances, USAID may be directed by specially appointed diplomatic officials of the State Department, as in Afghanistan and Pakistan at present. USAID can also be called upon to support projects of U.S. constituents that have exceptional interest.Socioeconomic development
When President Kennedy was still a Senator, his advisors persuaded him that low-income nations could achieve self-sustaining socioeconomic development if they improved management of their own resources. This became Kennedy's fundamental idea when as President he created USAID. USAID's assistance for socioeconomic development centers on providing technical advice, training, scholarships, commodities, and financial assistance. Other USG agencies and NGOs also participate in these efforts.Environment
Since 1991 USAID has been providing environment assistance to up to 45 countries. As a federal agency, USAID must abide by the United State’s environmental regulation laws. This ensures that programs sponsored by USAID should be at once economically and environmentally sustainable. USAID focuses on ensuring the protection of world resources that are currently most threatened and threatening for future generations. These resources include land and water and forests. USAID also focuses on managing and preparing people for the risks associated with global climate changeClimate change
Climate change is a significant and lasting change in the statistical distribution of weather patterns over periods ranging from decades to millions of years. It may be a change in average weather conditions or the distribution of events around that average...
.
USAID uses capacity building
Capacity building
Capacity building also referred to as capacity development is a conceptual approach to development that focuses on understanding the obstacles that inhibit people, governments, international organizations and non-governmental organizations from realizing their developmental goals while enhancing...
to address climate change in developing countries. Capacity building involves raising awareness about the impending threats caused by climate change. It also involves education, outreach and technical skills training as well as workshops that teach about clean energy, and sustainable agriculture.
USAID uses a capacity building technique because they have found that directly involved peoples carry out the most successful environmental campaigns. The direct involvement of trained stakeholders; means that projects will be continued even after USAID’s direct representatives have left.
Programs of the six types above frequently reinforce one another. For example, the Foreign Assistance Act requires USAID to use funds appropriated for geopolitical purposes ("Economic Support Funds") to support socio-economic development to the maximum extent possible.
Modes of assistance
USAID delivers foreign aid in two fundamentally different ways: technical assistance and financial assistance.Technical assistance
Technical assistance includes technical advice, training, scholarships, construction, and commodities, which are contracted or procured by USAID and provided in-kind to recipients.- Technical advice can draw on experts from other USG agencies as well as experts from the private sector under contract.
- Scholarships to U.S. universities are complemented by technical assistance to developing country universities, including establishing partnerships with U.S. universities, to strengthen professional training overseas.
- Commodity assistance takes diverse forms: for example, it is essential to disaster relief and it also is highly sought after for institutional development in the form of IT systems development and computer procurement.
The various forms of technical assistance are frequently coordinated as packages to support the institutional development programs of developing country leaders.
Financial assistance
Financial assistance supplies cash to developing country organizations to supplement their budgets. USAID also provides financial assistance to local and international NGOs who in turn give technical assistance in developing countries.In recent years, the USG has increased its emphasis on financial assistance in place of technical assistance. In 2004, the Bush Administration created the Millennium Challenge Corporation as a new foreign aid agency that is mainly restricted to providing financial assistance. In 2009, the Obama Administration initiated a major realignment of USAID's own programs to emphasize financial assistance, referring to it as "government-to-government" or "G2G" assistance.
USAID Forward
Under Dr. Rajiv ShahRajiv Shah
Rajiv “Raj” Shah is the Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development . He was confirmed by the Senate on December 24, 2009, replacing acting chief Alonzo Fulgham, making him the highest-ranking Indian American in any presidential administration...
's leadership, the agency has embarked on an ambitious reform agenda called USAID Forward. The reform agenda aims to change the way the Agency does business-with new partnerships, an emphasis on innovation and a relentless focus on results. It provides USAID the opportunity to transform its agency and unleash its full potential to achieve high-impact development. The USAID Forward package includes the following reforms in key areas: implementation and procurement reform, talent management, rebuilding policy capacity, strengthening monitoring and evaluation, rebuilding budget management, science and technology, and innovation.
- Implementation and Procurement Reform:
- USAID will alter its business processes by contracting with and providing grants to more and diverse local partners.
- Sets out to create partnerships and lasting conditions where aid is no longer necessary in the countries where USAID operates.
- In order to achieve this, USAID is streamlining its processes, increasing the use of small businesses, building metrics into its implementation agreements in order to achieve capacity building goals.
- Utilizes host country systems where appropriate to do so.
- Talent Management:
- USAID will explore ways to leverage the enormous talent that lies within the broader USAID family of foreign and civil service officers, and Foreign Service Nationals.
- To solve the world's biggest development challenges, it will improve and streamline processes so it can quickly align its resources to support the Agency's strategic initiatives.
- Will enhance hiring and training tools, as well as provide better incentives.
- USAID must attract and retain the appropriate and best individuals who reflect global diversity and are innovative problem-solvers.
- Rebuilding Policy Capacity:
- To make smart, informed decisions, USAID has created a new Bureau of Policy, Planning and Learning (PPL) that will serve as the intellectual nerve center for the Agency.
- PPL will promulgate cutting-edge creative and evidence-based development policies, which will leverage USAID's relationships with other donors.
- Utilize its strength in science and technology, and reintroduce a culture of research, knowledge-sharing and evaluation.
- Strengthening Monitoring and Evaluation:
- USAID believes that learning by measuring progress is critical for high impact, sustainable development and therefore has incorporated this as an integral part of USAID's thought process from the onset of its activities.
- USAID is required to do a much better job of systematically monitoring its progress and evaluating its impact.
- This new monitoring and evaluating process will be part of these reform efforts, and USAID will be introducing it.
- Rebuilding Budget Management:
- USAID is rebuilding its budget capacity to allow for increased responsibilities and capacity to manage constrained budget resources and ensure the Agency will be able to align resources against country strategies, make difficult trade-offs, and re-deploy resources toward programs that are demonstrating meaningful results.
- In consultation with the Department of State, USAID has created an Office of Budget and Resource Management in the Office of the Administrator that will provide increased responsibilities over execution of its budget.
- With these increased responsibilities, USAID will have to propose difficult funding tradeoffs in order to continue robust funding of key operational and program priorities.
- Science and Technology:
- USAID has a history of transforming development through science & technology (S&T), from the successful use of oral rehydration therapies to the green revolution.
- As part of these reform efforts, USAID will upgrade its internal S&T capabilities, supporting the expansion of technical expertise and improving access to analytical tools like Geospatial Information Systems.
- It will also develop a set of Grand Challenges for Development, a framework to focus the Agency and development community on key scientific and technical barriers that limit breakthrough development progress.
- USAID will build Science and Technology capacity in developing countries through cooperative research grants, improved access to scientific knowledge, and higher education and training opportunities.
- Innovation:
- USAID is putting into place a structure for fostering innovative development solutions that have a broad impact on people, wherever they may arise.
- As part of these reform efforts, USAID is creating opportunities to connect its staff to leading innovators in the private sector and academia.
- USAID has created the Development Innovation Ventures Fund, where creative solutions can be funded, piloted and brought to scale.
Budgetary resources for foreign aid
| Nation | Billions of Dollars |
|---|---|
| Afghanistan Afghanistan Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world... |
2.75 |
| Pakistan Pakistan Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan... |
1.35 |
| Haiti Haiti Haiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Caribbean country. It occupies the western, smaller portion of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Ayiti was the indigenous Taíno or Amerindian name for the island... |
.70 |
| Israel Israel The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea... |
.59 |
| Kenya Kenya Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east... |
.50 |
| Sudan Sudan Sudan , officially the Republic of the Sudan , is a country in North Africa, sometimes considered part of the Middle East politically. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the... |
.46 |
| West Bank West Bank The West Bank ) of the Jordan River is the landlocked geographical eastern part of the Palestinian territories located in Western Asia. To the west, north, and south, the West Bank shares borders with the state of Israel. To the east, across the Jordan River, lies the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan... /Gaza Gaza Gaza , also referred to as Gaza City, is a Palestinian city in the Gaza Strip, with a population of about 450,000, making it the largest city in the Palestinian territories.Inhabited since at least the 15th century BC,... |
.38 |
| Jordan Jordan Jordan , officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan , Al-Mamlaka al-Urduniyya al-Hashemiyya) is a kingdom on the East Bank of the River Jordan. The country borders Saudi Arabia to the east and south-east, Iraq to the north-east, Syria to the north and the West Bank and Israel to the west, sharing... |
.36 |
| Ethiopia Ethiopia Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2... |
.35 |
| South Africa South Africa The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans... |
.34 |
| Georgia Georgia (country) Georgia is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the southwest by Turkey, to the south by Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital of... |
.33 |
| Egypt Egypt Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world... |
.32 |
| Tanzania Tanzania The United Republic of Tanzania is a country in East Africa bordered by Kenya and Uganda to the north, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west, and Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique to the south. The country's eastern borders lie on the Indian Ocean.Tanzania is a state... |
.31 |
| Nigeria Nigeria Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in... |
.29 |
| Uganda Uganda Uganda , officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. Uganda is also known as the "Pearl of Africa". It is bordered on the east by Kenya, on the north by South Sudan, on the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the southwest by Rwanda, and on the south by... |
.26 |
| Indonesia Indonesia Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an... |
.26 |
| Mozambique Mozambique Mozambique, officially the Republic of Mozambique , is a country in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi and Zambia to the northwest, Zimbabwe to the west and Swaziland and South Africa to the southwest... |
.23 |
| Liberia Liberia Liberia , officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Sierra Leone on the west, Guinea on the north and Côte d'Ivoire on the east. Liberia's coastline is composed of mostly mangrove forests while the more sparsely populated inland consists of forests that open... |
.22 |
| Colombia Colombia Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the... |
.22 |
| Iraq Iraq Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert.... |
.22 |
The U.S. Government's 150 Account funds the budgets of all International Affairs programs and operations for civilian agencies, including USAID. In FY 2009, the Bush Administration's request for the International Affairs Budget for the Department of State, USAID, and other foreign affairs agencies totaled approximately $39.5 billion, including $26.1 billion for Foreign Operations and Related Agencies, $11.2 billion for Department of State, and $2.2 billion for Other International Affairs.
The request under the FY2009 Foreign Operations budget, Foreign Operations and Related Agencies was:
- $2.4 billion to improve responsiveness to humanitarian crises, including food emergencies and disasters, and the needs of refugees
- $938 million to strengthen USAID’s operational capacity
- $2.3 billion to help Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan and West Bank/Gaza achieve economic, democratic, security and political stabilization and to advance their overall development
- $2.1 billion for State Department and USAID programs in Africa to address non-HIV/AIDS health, economic growth and democratic governance needs and to help promote stability in Sudan, Liberia, Zimbabwe and Somalia in support of the President's 2005 commitment to double aid to Africa by 2010
- $4.8 billion for the Global HIV/AIDS Initiative, which directly supports the first year of the President’s new five-year, $30 billion plan to treat 2.5 million people, prevent 12 million new infections, and care for 12 million afflicted people
- $550 million to support the Mérida InitiativeMérida InitiativeThe Mérida Initiative is a security cooperation agreement between the United States and the government of Mexico and the countries of Central America, with the declared aim of combating the threats of drug trafficking, transnational organized crime and money laundering...
to combat the threats of drug trafficking, transnational crime, and terrorism in Mexico and Central America - $1.7 billion to promote democracy around the world, including support for the President’s Freedom Agenda
- $385 million to support the President’s Malaria Initiative to reduce malaria-related deaths by 50 percent in 15 target African countries by 2010
- $94 million for the President’s International Education Initiative to provide an additional 4 million students with access to quality basic education through 2012
- $64 million for the State Department and USAID to support the President's Climate Change Initiative to promote the adoption of clean energy technology, help countries adapt to climate change, and encourage sustainable forest management
- $4.8 billion for foreign military financing to the Middle East, Latin America, Europe and Eurasia, including $2.6 billion for Israel
- $2.2 billion for the Millennium Challenge Corporation to improve agricultural productivity, modernize infrastructure, expand private land ownership, improve health systems, and improve access to credit for small business and farmers
At the Earth Summit
Earth Summit
The United Nations Conference on Environment and Development , also known as the Rio Summit, Rio Conference, Earth Summit was a major United Nations conference held in Rio de Janeiro from 3 June to 14 June 1992.-Overview:...
in Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...
in 1992, most of the world's governments adopted a program for action under the auspices of the United Nations Agenda 21
Agenda 21
Agenda 21 is an action plan of the United Nations related to sustainable development and was an outcome of the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in 1992...
, which included an Official Development Assistance (ODA) aid target of 0.7% of gross national product (GNP) for rich nations, specified as roughly 22 members of the OECD and known as the Development Assistance Committee (DAC). The United States never agreed to this target but remains in real terms the world's largest provider of official development assistance. However, relative to its economy, the U.S. is the second lowest provider with a 0.17% of GNI in aid. Only Greece, among the DAC countries, provides a lower percentage of GNI in the form of aid.
According to the Development Assistance Committee of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (DAC/OECD), the United States remains the largest donor of "official development assistance" at $23.53 billion in 2006. DAC/OECD reports that the next largest donor was the United Kingdom ($12.46b). The UK was followed (in rank order) by Japan ($11.19b), France ($10.60b), Germany ($10.43b), Netherlands ($5.45b), Sweden ($3.95b), Spain ($3.81b), Canada ($3.68b), Italy ($3.64b), Norway ($2.95b), Denmark ($2.24b), Australia ($2.12b), Belgium ($1.98b), Switzerland ($1.65b), Austria ($1.50b), Ireland ($1.02b), Finland ($0.83b), Greece ($0.42b), Portugal ($0.40b), Luxembourg ($0.29b) and New Zealand ($0.26b).
USAID contributed to relief in the 2010 Haiti Earthquake
2010 Haiti earthquake
The 2010 Haiti earthquake was a catastrophic magnitude 7.0 Mw earthquake, with an epicentre near the town of Léogâne, approximately west of Port-au-Prince, Haiti's capital. The earthquake occurred at 16:53 local time on Tuesday, 12 January 2010.By 24 January, at least 52 aftershocks...
.
Response to 2010 Haiti earthquake2010 Haiti earthquakeThe 2010 Haiti earthquake was a catastrophic magnitude 7.0 Mw earthquake, with an epicentre near the town of Léogâne, approximately west of Port-au-Prince, Haiti's capital. The earthquake occurred at 16:53 local time on Tuesday, 12 January 2010.By 24 January, at least 52 aftershocks...
Dr. Rajiv ShahRajiv Shah
Rajiv “Raj” Shah is the Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development . He was confirmed by the Senate on December 24, 2009, replacing acting chief Alonzo Fulgham, making him the highest-ranking Indian American in any presidential administration...
became Administrator of USAID, shortly before the January 2010 earthquake in Haiti
Haiti
Haiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Caribbean country. It occupies the western, smaller portion of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Ayiti was the indigenous Taíno or Amerindian name for the island...
. In response, USAID and other agencies, began working to help Haiti recover and rebuild. Together with the international community and the Government of Haiti, Dr. Shah led USAID to help provide safer housing for almost 200,000 displaced Haitians; supported vaccinations for more than 1 million people; cleared more than 1.3 million cubic meters of the approximately 10 million cubic meters of rubble generated; helped more than 10,000 farmers double the yields of staples like corn, beans, and sorghum; and provided short-term employment to more than 350,000 Haitians, injecting more than $19 million into the local economy. USAID has provided nearly $42 million to help combat cholera, helping to decrease the number of cases requiring hospitalization and reduce the case fatality rate.
Iraq
USAID has been a major partner in the United States Government's (USG) reconstruction and development effort in Iraq. , USAID has invested approximately $6.6 billion on programs designed to stabilize communities; foster economic and agricultural growth; and build the capacity of the national, local, and provincial governments to represent and respond to the needs of the Iraqi people.Rebuilding Iraq C-SPAN 4 Part Series
In June 2003, C-SPAN
C-SPAN
C-SPAN , an acronym for Cable-Satellite Public Affairs Network, is an American cable television network that offers coverage of federal government proceedings and other public affairs programming via its three television channels , one radio station and a group of websites that provide streaming...
followed USAID Admin. Andrew Natsios
Andrew Natsios
Andrew S. Natsios is an American civil servant who has served in a number of Massachusetts and high level federal government positions. From 2001 to 2005 he served as Administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development, and was appointed as Special Coordinator for International Disaster...
as he toured Iraq. The special program C-SPAN produced aired over four nights.
Bolivia
In 2008, the cocaCoca
Coca, Erythroxylum coca, is a plant in the family Erythroxylaceae, native to western South America. The plant plays a significant role in many traditional Andean cultures...
growers union affiliated with Bolivia
Bolivia
Bolivia officially known as Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is the poorest country in South America...
n President Evo Morales
Evo Morales
Juan Evo Morales Ayma , popularly known as Evo , is a Bolivian politician and activist, currently serving as the 80th President of Bolivia, a position that he has held since 2006. He is also the leader of both the Movement for Socialism party and the cocalero trade union...
ejected the 100 employees and contractors from USAID working in the Chapare
Chapare
Chapare may refer to:* Chapare Province, Bolivia* Chapare RiverIt may also refer to:* Chapare virus...
region, citing frustration with U.S. efforts to persuade them to switch to growing unviable alternatives. From 1998 to 2003, Bolivian farmers could receive USAID funding for help planting other crops only if they eliminated all their coca, according to the Andean Information Network
Andean Information Network
The Andean Information Network or AIN is a Bolivian non-profit non-governmental organization founded in 1992 to raise awareness on the drug war and human rights, particularly in the coca-growing areas of Bolivia...
. Other rules, such as the requirement that participating communities declare themselves "terrorist-free zones" as required by U.S. law
Law of the United States
The law of the United States consists of many levels of codified and uncodified forms of law, of which the most important is the United States Constitution, the foundation of the federal government of the United States...
irritated people, said Kathryn Ledebur, director of the organization. "Eradicate all your coca and then you grow an orange tree that will get fruit in eight years but you don't have anything to eat in the meantime? A bad idea," she said. "The thing about kicking out USAID, I don't think it's an anti-American sentiment overall but rather a rejection of bad programs".
Horn of Africa
On September 19, 2011, Dr. Rajiv ShahRajiv Shah
Rajiv “Raj” Shah is the Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development . He was confirmed by the Senate on December 24, 2009, replacing acting chief Alonzo Fulgham, making him the highest-ranking Indian American in any presidential administration...
, along with Dr. Jill Biden
Jill Biden
Jill Tracy Biden is an American educator and, as the wife of Vice President Joe Biden, is the Second Lady of the United States....
and Ad Council
Ad Council
The Advertising Council, commonly known as the Ad Council, is an American non-profit organization that distributes public service announcements on behalf of various sponsors, including non-profit organizations and agencies of the United States government....
, launched the FWD
FWD
FWD may refer to:* Front-wheel drive, a common method of vehicle propulsion.* FWD Campaign from USAID* Free World Dialup , a non-commercial Voice over IP network....
campaign to raise awareness about the severe famine, war, and drought affecting over 13 million people in the Horn of Africa
Horn of Africa
The Horn of Africa is a peninsula in East Africa that juts hundreds of kilometers into the Arabian Sea and lies along the southern side of the Gulf of Aden. It is the easternmost projection of the African continent...
. Through televised and online PSAs, as well as social media initiatives, FWD encouraged Americans to spread awareness of the crisis, support the humanitarian organizations conducting the relief operations, and learn more about the solutions through President Barack Obama’s Feed the Future initiative to combat hunger and provide food security. Celebrities Geena Davis
Geena Davis
Virginia Elizabeth "Geena" Davis is an American actress, film producer, writer, former fashion model, and a women's Olympics archery team semi-finalist...
, Uma Thurman
Uma Thurman
Uma Karuna Thurman is an American actress and model. She has performed in leading roles in a variety of films, ranging from romantic comedies and dramas to science fiction and action movies. Among her best-known roles are those in the Quentin Tarantino films Pulp Fiction and Kill Bill...
, Josh Hartnett
Josh Hartnett
Joshua Daniel "Josh" Hartnett is an American actor and aspiring producer. He first came to audiences' attention in 1997 as "Michael Fitzgerald" in the television series Cracker. He made his feature film debut in 1998, co-starring with Jamie Lee Curtis in Halloween H20: 20 Years Later for Miramax...
, and Chanel Iman
Chanel Iman
Chanel Iman Robinson , known professionally as Chanel Iman, is an American fashion model perhaps best known for her work for Victoria's Secret.-Early life:...
supported the campaign via a series of Public Service Announcements. Meanwhile, corporations like Cargill
Cargill
Cargill, Incorporated is a privately held, multinational corporation based in Minnetonka, Minnesota. Founded in 1865, it is now the largest privately held corporation in the United States in terms of revenue. If it were a public company, it would rank, as of 2011, number 13 on the Fortune 500,...
, General Mills
General Mills
General Mills, Inc. is an American Fortune 500 corporation, primarily concerned with food products, which is headquartered in Golden Valley, Minnesota, a suburb of Minneapolis. The company markets many well-known brands, such as Betty Crocker, Yoplait, Colombo, Totinos, Jeno's, Pillsbury, Green...
, PepsiCo. and General Mills
General Mills
General Mills, Inc. is an American Fortune 500 corporation, primarily concerned with food products, which is headquartered in Golden Valley, Minnesota, a suburb of Minneapolis. The company markets many well-known brands, such as Betty Crocker, Yoplait, Colombo, Totinos, Jeno's, Pillsbury, Green...
signed on to support the FWD campaign.
Controversies and criticism
USAID states that "U.S. foreign assistance has always had the twofold purpose of furthering America's foreign policy interests in expanding democracy and free markets while improving the lives of the citizens of the developing world." However, non-government organization watch groups have noted that as much as 40% of aid to Afghanistan has found its way back to donor countries through awarding contracts at inflated costs.Although USAID officially selects contractors on a competitive and objective basis, watch dog groups, politicians, foreign governments and corporations have occasionally accused the agency of allowing its bidding process to be unduly influenced by the political and financial interests of its current Presidential administration. Under the Bush administration, for instance, it emerged that all five implementing partners selected to bid on a $600 million Iraq reconstruction contract enjoyed close ties to the administration.. Under the Obama Administration, it emerged that much money was being used to subsidize the building of Mosques in foreign lands..
Some critics say that the US government gives aid to reward political and military partners rather than to advance genuine social or humanitarian causes abroad. Another complaint is that foreign aid is used as a political weapon for the U.S. to make other nations do things its way, an example given in 1990 when the Yemen
Yemen
The Republic of Yemen , commonly known as Yemen , is a country located in the Middle East, occupying the southwestern to southern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the north, the Red Sea to the west, and Oman to the east....
i Ambassador to the United Nations, Abdullah Saleh al-Ashtal
Abdullah Saleh al-Ashtal
Abdullah Saleh al-Ashtal was a Yemeni diplomat who was a Permanent Representative at the United Nations in New York City for nearly 30 years....
, voted against a resolution for a US-led coalition to use force against Iraq, U.S. Ambassador to the UN Thomas Pickering
Thomas R. Pickering
Thomas Reeve "Tom" Pickering , is a retired United States ambassador. Among his many diplomatic appointments, he served as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations from 1989 to 1992.-Early life:...
walked to the seat of the Yemeni Ambassador and retorted: "That was the most expensive No vote you ever cast". Immediately afterwards, USAID ceased operations and funding in Yemen.
It has been said that in the 1960s and early 1970s USAID has maintained "a close working relationship with the CIA, and Agency officers often operated abroad under USAID cover." The 1960s-era Office of Public Safety
Office of Public Safety
The Office of Public Safety was a US government agency, established in 1957 by US President Dwight D. Eisenhower to train police forces of US allies. It was officially part of USAID , and was close to the Central Intelligence Agency . Police-training teams were sent to South Vietnam, Iran, Taiwan,...
, a now-disbanded division of USAID, has been mentioned as an example of this, having served as a front for training foreign police in counterinsurgency methods.
Folha de São Paulo, Brazil's largest newspaper, accused USAID of trying to influence political reform in Brazil in a way that would have purposely benefited right-wing parties. USAID spent $95,000 US in 2005 on a seminar in the Brazilian Congress to promote a reform whose aim was to push for legislation to punish party infidelity. According to USAID papers acquired by Folha under the Freedom of Information Act
Freedom of Information Act (United States)
The Freedom of Information Act is a federal freedom of information law that allows for the full or partial disclosure of previously unreleased information and documents controlled by the United States government. The Act defines agency records subject to disclosure, outlines mandatory disclosure...
, the seminar was planned so as to coincide with the eve of talks in that country's Congress on a broad political reform. The papers read that although the "pattern of weak party discipline is found across the political spectrum, it is somewhat less true of parties on the liberal left, such as the [ruling] Worker's Party." The papers also expressed a concern about the "'indigenization' of the conference so that it is not viewed as providing a U.S. perspective." The event's main sponsor was the International Republican Institute
International Republican Institute
Founded in 1983, the International Republican Institute is an organization, funded by the United States government, that conducts international political programs, sometimes labeled 'democratization programs'....
.
In December 2009, Alan Gross, a contractor for USAID, was arrested in Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
. He and US government officials claim Gross was helping to deliver internet access to the Jewish community on the island, however the head of the Jewish community in Cuba, Adela Dworin, denies any knowledge of Gross and says that recognized international Jewish organizations have provided them with legal Internet connections. Cuban officials have said that Gross remains under investigation on suspicion of espionage and importing prohibited satellite communications equipment (known as a BGAN
BGAN
The Broadband Global Area Network is a global Satellite Internet Network with telephony using portable terminals. The terminals are normally used to connect a laptop computer to broadband Internet in remote locations, although as long as line-of-sight to the satellite exists, the terminal can be...
) to Cuban dissidents. Gross was convicted by Cuban courts and sentenced to fifteen years in prison for bringing communications equipment onto the island nation.
See also
- African Development FoundationAfrican Development FoundationThe United States African Development Foundation is an "Independent United States Government Agency" which provides grants of up to $250,000 to community groups and small enterprises that benefit under served and marginalized groups in Sub-Saharan Africa...
- Andrew NatsiosAndrew NatsiosAndrew S. Natsios is an American civil servant who has served in a number of Massachusetts and high level federal government positions. From 2001 to 2005 he served as Administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development, and was appointed as Special Coordinator for International Disaster...
- Bretton Woods systemBretton Woods systemThe Bretton Woods system of monetary management established the rules for commercial and financial relations among the world's major industrial states in the mid 20th century...
- Chicago BoysChicago BoysThe Chicago Boys were a group of young Chilean economists most of whom trained at the University of Chicago under Milton Friedman and Arnold Harberger, or at its affiliate in the economics department at the Catholic University of Chile...
- Development Alternatives Inc.
- Development Experience ClearinghouseDevelopment Experience ClearinghouseThe Development Experience Clearinghouse is the U.S. Agency for International Development online repository for materials documenting its nearly half century offering international humanitarian aid and economic, agricultural, trade, health, and democratic support.Established in 1975, the DEC now...
- Economic Cooperation AdministrationEconomic Cooperation AdministrationThe Economic Cooperation Administration was a United States government agency set up in 1948 to administer the Marshall Plan. It reported to both the State Department and the Department of Commerce. The agency's head was Paul G. Hoffman, a former head of Studebaker. Much of the rest of the...
- GAIN Global Alliance for Improved NutritionGAIN Global Alliance for Improved NutritionThe Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition is an alliance driven by the vision of a world without malnutrition. Created in 2002 at a Special Session of the UN General Assembly on Children, GAIN supports public-private partnerships to increase access to the missing nutrients in diets necessary for...
- John M. GranvilleJohn GranvilleJohn M. Granville was an American diplomat who worked in South Sudan. On January 1, 2008, he was assassinated in a shooting in Khartoum, Sudan at the age of 33.-Career:...
- List of development aid agencies
- Marshall PlanMarshall PlanThe Marshall Plan was the large-scale American program to aid Europe where the United States gave monetary support to help rebuild European economies after the end of World War II in order to combat the spread of Soviet communism. The plan was in operation for four years beginning in April 1948...
- Mexico City PolicyMexico City PolicyThe Mexico City Policy, also known by critics as the Mexico City Gag Rule and the Global Gag Rule, was an intermittent United States government policy that required all non-governmental organizations that receive federal funding to refrain from performing or promoting abortion services, as a...
- Mutual Security ActMutual Security ActThe Mutual Security Act of 1951 is a United States federal law, signed on October 10, 1951 by President Harry S. Truman, which authorized nearly $7.5 billion for foreign military, economic, and technical foreign aid to American allies; the aid was aimed primarily at shoring up Western Europe, as...
- Office of Transition InitiativesOffice of Transition InitiativesThe Office of Transition Initiatives is part of the United States Agency for International Development Bureau for Democracy, Conflict, and Humanitarian Assistance....
- POPLINEPOPLINEPOPLINE is a reproductive health database, containing citations with abstracts to scientific articles, reports, books, and unpublished reports in the field of population, family planning, and reproductive health issues...
- The INFO ProjectThe INFO ProjectThe INFO Project is housed at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Center for Communication Programs and is funded by the United States Agency for International Development....
- United States foreign aid
- United States military aidUnited States military aidThe United States government first recognized the usefulness of foreign aid as a tool of diplomacy in World War II. It was believed that it would promote liberal capitalist models of development in other countries and that it would enhance national security....
- United States Foreign Military FinancingUnited States Foreign Military FinancingThe Foreign Military Financing program provides grants and loans to help countries purchase weapons and defense equipment produced in the United States as well as acquiring defense services and military training. FMF funds purchases are made through the Foreign Military Sales program, which...
- Edward WeidenfeldEdward WeidenfeldEdward L. Weidenfeld, is the former counsel to the United States House Committee on Insular Affairs from 1971-1973 and counsel to the 1980 Reagan-Bush campaign. As the founder of the Weidenfeld Law Firm, P.C. in Washington, D.C., he is an attorney specializing in estate and asset protection law...
External links
- USAID website
- Records of the Agency for International Development (AID) in the National Archives
- USAID Overview video short
- USAID-produced Lebanon television short for 2007 public affairs campaign
- USAID-sponsored and financed anti-human trafficking music video
- Highlights of President Kennedy's Act for International Development, Bureau of Public Affairs, U.S. Dept. of State, June 1961
- Historical bibliography of the United States Agency for International Development, USAID Center for Development Information and Evaluation (CDIE), April 1995
- USAID primer : what we do and how we do it, USAID, rev. January 2006
- Access over 161,000 USAID documents, reports and publications through USAID's Development Experience Clearinghouse (DEC)
- Access over 9,100 USAID project descriptions, 1946–1996, through USAID's Development Experience Clearinghouse (DEC)
- U.S. Overseas Loans and Grants, Obligations and Loan Authorizations, USAID annual report to U.S. Congress
- USAID's Global Education Database, Displays UNESCOUNESCOThe United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
and other Education Data - FrontLines--the employee news publication of USAID
- The US and Foreign Aid Assistance, article by Anup Shah
- EM-DAT: The OFDA/CRED International Disaster Database
- CE-DAT: The Complex Emergency Database
- Eurodad: Aid Effectiveness, Conditionality, Aid Accounting
- Albert H. Huntington Jr. (AID Staff Member), Collection of Documents Related to Foreign Aid, Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library
- US Aid to Pakistan by the Numbers - Center for American Progress
- US Aid to Afghanistan by the Numbers - Center for American Progress
- Myth: More US aid will help the hungry
- USAID Armenia
- GVEP InternationalGVEP InternationalGVEP International is a worldwide non profit organisation working to reduce poverty by accelerating access to affordable and sustainable energy services....
- Moseley, W.G. 2006. “America’s Lost Vision: The Demise of Development.” International Herald Tribune. Pg. 7, August 9.