UNDP Roundtable Discussion: Iraq’s Development Challenges

By: Staff Person
November 4, 2010

On November 2, panelists at the UNDP Washington Roundtable on “Iraq’s Development Challenges” discussed the achievements that have been made as well as the significant challenges still faced in the development of Iraq. Frederick Tipson, Director of UNDP Washington, moderated the discussion between two panelists: Christine McNab, the Deputy Special Representative of the UN Secretary General and UN Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator for Iraq; John Desrocher, Director of US Department of State Office of Iraq Affairs; and Leslie Campbell, Regional Director for the Middle East & North Africa at the National Democratic Institute.

Cast Your Vote about the QDDR’s Release

By: Staff Person
November 2, 2010

Voting in your state may not be the only ballot you cast today, after all. The Stimson Center’s The Will and the Wallet blog features a poll asking when you think the State Department’s inaugural Quadrennial Diplomacy and Development Review (QDDR) will be released.

MFAN Principal J. Brian Atwood Elected Chair of OECD’s Development Assistance Committee

By: Staff Person
November 1, 2010

November 1, 2010 (WASHINGTON) – This statement is delivered on behalf of the Modernizing Foreign Assistance Network (MFAN) by Co-Chairs David Beckmann and George Ingram: We offer heartfelt congratulations to our fellow MFAN Principal and friend J. Brian Atwood for his unanimous election as Chair of the Development Assistance Committee (DAC) of the Organization for … Continue reading MFAN Principal J. Brian Atwood Elected Chair of OECD’s Development Assistance Committee

The 112th Congress: A Perfect Storm for Aid Cuts, or a Perfect Opportunity for Reform?

By: Staff Person
October 26, 2010

Connie Veillette, Ph.D., the Director of the Rethinking U.S. Foreign Assistance program at the Center for Global Development and MFAN’s newest Principal, guest blogged for The Will and The Wallet today. With one week left before the mid-term elections, Veillette ponders how the mounting budget deficit and the changing political dynamic will affect funding of the … Continue reading The 112th Congress: A Perfect Storm for Aid Cuts, or a Perfect Opportunity for Reform?

CGD Takes on Aid to Pakistan

By: Staff Person
October 25, 2010

“Today, Pakistanis are far more mistrustful of U.S. motives for giving aid. Consider, for instance, these quite typical newspaper headlines in Pakistan: “U.S. pilots fly Pakistan flood aid to win hearts and minds,” reported the Dawn newspaper on August 10th. “$224 million pledged to win ‘hearts, minds” said the Nation’s headline on August 24th. Rarely is U.S. aid mentioned in a newspaper article without the term “hearts and minds” right alongside it.”

In UK, Development Key to Promoting National Security

By: Staff Person
October 19, 2010

Devex reported today that “the U.K. government’s new national security strategy goes beyond military efforts to counter threats of instability. It also recognizes the contribution of British development projects in promoting national security.” Click here to read A Strong Britain in an Age of Uncertainty: The National Security Strategy.

Getting balance right is key to U.S. development policy

By: Staff Person
October 19, 2010

In a guest post on the Stimson Center’s new blog, The Will and The Wallet, MFAN Principal and President of InterAction, Sam Worthington discusses the inherent tension between short-term and long-term development objectives. “What has not been encouraging is that the U.S. government is increasingly opting for a shorter-term approach in areas deemed crucial to U.S. national security interests. Much of this is under the banner of “winning the hearts and minds” of a local population with quick-fix projects.”

CSIS Paper on the Erosion of USAID

By: Staff Person
October 19, 2010

“Ironically, while foreign assistance has grown in importance in U.S. foreign policy over the past two decades, it has deteriorated organizationally, substantively, and procedurally. It will not take long to see how great a difference the deterioration in structure and process will have on development content. Already, the tangible erosion has had discernable, negative effects on the quality of analysis, internal discourse, and decisionmaking.”

Framing Global Health and Foreign Policy

By: Staff Person
October 14, 2010

In Globalization and Health—an online, peer-reviewed journal—Ronald Labonté and Michelle Gagnon wrote a paper exploring how health has become a prominent global policy agenda in the last decade titled, “Framing health and foreign policy: lessons for global health diplomacy.” Do you think the Obama administration’s Global Health Initiative (GHI) aligns with the concept of global health diplomacy? Read the full article and let us know!