The 2009 winner of the Commitment to Development “Ideas in Action” Award–sponsored by the Center for Global Development and Foreign Policy magazine–is Diego Hidalgo, founder of the Foundation for International Relations and Foreign Dialogue (FRIDE).
Former Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-TN) published an op-ed today in Roll Call calling for the immediate confirmation of Dr. Rajiv Shah as Administrator for the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). In the piece, he also calls for foreign assistance reform efforts by the Obama Administration and Congress to move forward toward a successful conclusion. The piece comes as Dr. Shah was rumored to have been meeting with Republican Senator Tom Coburn
When Americans think about Afghanistan, you think about more American troops and security,” she said. “But there is a lot more at stake in my country besides security: the lives of millions of children, women and men who need education, employment and good health. U.S. foreign aid has been investing in this, but it can do so much more if it is reformed so that assistance is smarter, more strategic and better coordinated. We need this in Afghanistan and around the world. Let your leaders know that you think that development is an important part of U.S. foreign policy. Please sign the petition today.”
Yesterday in the Huffington Post, MFAN Principal and Women Thrive Worldwide co-founder and President Ritu Sharma noted the significant strides made in foreign assistance reform since President Obama took office in January 2009. These measures, she said, have laid the groundwork to make U.S. foreign assistance more efficient and effective, but more reform needs to happen before it can begin to have a real impact on the ground and improve the livelihoods of men and women worldwide.
This weekly posting includes key news stories and opinion pieces related to foreign assistance reform and the larger development community.
MFAN commends the Senate Foreign Relations Committee for unanimously approving Dr. Rajiv Shah’s nomination as Administrator for the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).
This weekly posting includes key news stories and opinion pieces related to foreign assistance reform and the larger development community.
Today, Chairman John Kerry (D-MA), Ranking Minority Member Richard Lugar (R-IN), and a bipartisan group of Senators took a concrete step towards making U.S. foreign assistance more effective by passing the Foreign Assistance Revitalization and Accountability Act of 2009 (S.1524) out of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
After ten months of waiting and wondering, yesterday President Obama nominated Dr. Rajiv Shah to be Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). MFAN welcomed the news with a key message for policymakers and the community: For Dr. Shah to effectively lead critical, ongoing U.S. development efforts – foreign assistance reform, the global food security initiative, and Afghanistan-Pakistan, to name a few – he should be given a seat at the National Security Council from which he can lend a distinct voice for development to ongoing foreign policy discussions, and budget and policy authority should be restored to USAID, as provided for in S.1524, the Foreign Assistance Revitalization and Accountability Act of 2009
MFAN applauds the nomination of Dr. Rajiv Shah to be Administrator for the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). We are hopeful that his unique combination of knowledge about global health, agriculture, and other issues will allow him to provide a strong and indispensable development voice as major decisions are made about U.S. foreign policy. Congress should confirm Dr. Shah quickly.
