Fighting for Aid Effectiveness

By: Staff Person
November 18, 2011

This week, five former Secretaries of State, representing both Democrats and Republican administrations, sent a letter to Congress raising concerns about additional cuts to diplomacy and development programs in the FY12 appropriations. Former Secretaries Madeleine Albright, Henry Kissinger, Colin Powell, Condoleezza Rice and George Shultz wrote they “have seen first‐hand how the International Affairs Budget is a strategic investment to advance America’s interests throughout the world” and urge members of Congress to oppose devastating cuts to these vital programs.

PWYF Releases First-Ever Aid Transparency Index

By: Staff Person
November 15, 2011

MFAN Partner Publish What You Fund, an organization focused on tracking transparency in foreign aid, released the 2011 Aid Transparency Index today. The report – the first of its kind – evaluates the transparency of 58 donor countries and international organizations, showing that donors of international aid are not publishing enough information on the money they give towards development. Publish What You Fund believes that this lack of transparency undermines the effectiveness of development spending and ultimately damages public trust.

50 Years — A Great Start but Still a Long Way to Go

By: Staff Person
November 15, 2011

These manmade problems are multiple. Some relate to the traditional challenges of reducing poverty and building sustainable solutions. Some also relate to how we do development assistance. Certainly, President Kennedy’s words resonated with me as I moved on from USAID’s inspirational video and from my personal celebration of USAID’s anniversary to read some harder edged reporting on the state of U.S. foreign assistance – and the manmade problems that it faces.

FWD The Facts

By: Staff Person
November 9, 2011

Today, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) launched USAID FWD Day – a massive push to spread awareness and ensure the Horn of Africa tragedy no longer goes overlooked. There are currently 13.3 million in crisis suffering from the worst drought in 60 years, the worst famine in 20, and non-stop violence.

Former and Current Administrators Celebrate USAID’s 50th Anniversary at CSIS

By: Staff Person
November 4, 2011

As the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) celebrates its 50th anniversary this Thursday, the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) hosted a panel last week featuring a host of USAID administrators discussing past achievements, present challenges, and future hopes for U.S. foreign assistance. The panel included Peter McPherson, USAID administrator from 1981-1987; … Continue reading Former and Current Administrators Celebrate USAID’s 50th Anniversary at CSIS

CGD Asks, “Is USAID Being Set up to Fail on GHI?”

By: Staff Person
November 1, 2011

Nandini Oomman, the Center for Global Development’s director of the HIV/AIDS monitor, co-wrote a blog piece with Rachel Silverman raising several important questions about the Global Health Initiative (GHI). The State Department-led Quadrennial Diplomacy and Development Review (QDDR) – which next month will be one year into its implementation – stipulates that the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) assume leadership of GHI in September 2012, contingent upon fulfilling a set of 10 benchmarks. But what the QDDR does not make clear is exactly what leadership of GHI means.

USAID Launches FWD Campaign

By: Staff Person
October 27, 2011

Yesterday, the U.S. Agency for International Development, in partnership with the Ad Council, launched a national public awareness campaign to help spread the word about the current crisis in the Horn of Africa.

Street Theatre: Superheroes or supervillans?

By: Staff Person
October 27, 2011

See below for a post from Linda Delgado calling upon the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction to protect poverty-focused development assistance. Linda Delgado is Director of Government Affairs at Oxfam America. It is street theatre everywhere these days. Standard decision making processes and procedures are OUT. Legislating on appropriations bills is IN. And twelve … Continue reading Street Theatre: Superheroes or supervillans?

Judge Ted Poe and his bipartisan posse lay down the (foreign aid) law

By: Staff Person
October 21, 2011

This blog post was written by MFAN Partner Archana Palaniappan, aid effectiveness policy and advocacy advisor at Oxfam America. The post originally appeared on Oxfam America’s Politics of Poverty blog. Bipartisan. Remember that word? It’s been a while since we heard a tale of true bipartisan support in Washington. In a time when it feels … Continue reading Judge Ted Poe and his bipartisan posse lay down the (foreign aid) law

International Development Spending is Smart Contracting

By: Staff Person
October 17, 2011

With the congressional super committee and others mulling the return on investment for various government programs, there has been a misguided call to cut foreign aid and other international development assistance. It seems nobody is really asking, or bothering to answer, the question: What do we get for the development dollar? The answer: jobs, economic growth, and security abroad—and at home.