To serve as the rallying cry for the campaign, MFAN created the “Open Letter to President Obama on the U.S. Commitment to Global Development.” This letter, which has already been signed by nearly 50 organizations, calls for President Obama to create America’s first-ever Global Development Strategy and partner with Congress to rewrite the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961.
“The Paris Declaration and the Accra Agenda for Action emphasise the importance of aligning aid with recipient government priorities and delivering aid through government systems. However, since a significant amount of aid is not delivered through national budgets, the issue of aligning these resources to government systems remains a major challenge. A fundamental concern is the ability to relate aid resources to the expenditure patterns of recipient governments… This paper explores the linkages between aid and budgets in two ways.”
To demonstrate principles of effective aid – and communicate what still needs to be done – MFAN canvassed its Partners to share cases in which a new, innovative way of thinking led to improving the livelihood of an individual, a community or a country. The following success stories articulate some of the core principles – Ownership, Partnership, Coordination, and Innovation – that MFAN believes should provide the underpinnings of foreign assistance reform.
The attached paper, “Global Development through Aid, Partnerships, Trade and Education: Recommendations from Global Washington” is the result of the collaboration of more than 45 Washington State experts representing the non-profit, business, government, and academic sectors that proposes specific policy recommendation on four topics: Aid; Trade and Development; Public-Private Partnerships; and Global Education.
This month read about basic principles for effective development aid in Pakistan, development investments in the FATA region, the U.S. aid program as described by Sen. Kerry and Lugar, and policymakers’ solution to Pakistan’s energy crisis. Sign up to receive the newsletter each month by clicking here.
On Tuesday, Administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Dr. Rajiv Shah spoke at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) regarding the president’s Global Health Initiative (GHI), and the steps that USAID is taking to provide effective, long-term assistance.
MFAN’s members have been out in force reacting to the House of Representatives decision to cut $4 billion from President Obama’s request for the International Affairs Budget, which funds the civilian instruments of U.S. global engagement, particularly foreign aid.
“What would they do with the extra income if they had it? I asked. They told me that they would first buy some land as a group sothey are not always worried about losing it to men in the community, or discouraged from improving it (because it could be taken away from them at any moment). Next, they said, they would dig communal wells, so they could access better water and avoid the hours of travel that take away from time farming or caring for their children.”
In a new post on the Center for Global Development’s Rethinking U.S. Foreign Assistance Blog, MFAN member Sarah Jane Staats reviews Obama’s recently released announcement on the G8, “A New Approach to Advancing Development.” Staats applauds the statement for putting a “little more meat on the bones” of U.S. global development strategy, but notes that the real challenge … Continue reading MFAN Partners Respond to Obama’s G8 Statement on Development
Nearly one year out, it’s hard to see whether we’re any closer to agreement. Eighteen months into this administration, the delay means President Obama and his team are running out of time not just to issue strategies, but to implement any reforms. The less time there is for the reforms to get traction, the less likely they’ll create any lasting legacy.”
