In case you missed it, watch the clip below for Deputy Secretary Thomas Nides’ briefing on the FY’12 budget request for the State Department and U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).
On Saturday, Worthington argued that any attempts to cut foreign assistance would be “penny-wise and pound foolish” in an op-ed for the National Review. Worthington described foreign assistance as an investment, writing, “Foreign assistance is a down payment for U.S. national security in that it helps to create a more stable and secure world. Investing in societies now reaps rewards for years to come and helps avert future military conflicts, which cost much more in blood and national treasure. Development is a key component of foreign policy strategy and must not be an afterthought.” He closed his piece by noting the power of American generosity and the need to resist being “stingy” in a complex world.
For the United States, the more donors with whom we can collaborate to address the some of the world’s most intractable problems, the more we advance our national interests and provide paths out of poverty. In Brazil, we have a partner who shares our commitment to advancing global development; and who has come up with effective and innovative approaches to tackling some of the very same challenges facing developing countries in Latin America and the Caribbean and Africa.
In a recent post on the Wilson Center’s “The New Security Beat” blog, senior scholar John Sewell offers his perspective on the State Department’s Quadrennial Diplomacy and Development Review (QDDR), which was released in December.
Below are excerpts from MFAN Partners’ statements in reaction to USAID Administrator Rajiv Shah’s extraordinary speech last week. Stay tuned for coverage of the Republican Study Group’s call for severe cuts to USAID’s budget.
“David Beckmann, co-chair of the Modernizing Foreign Assistance Network, called Shah’s speech “extraordinary and hard-hitting” and ongoing USAID reforms “essential and timely,” urging the Obama administration to work with policymakers from both parties to draft legislation that will “enshrine this new development business model in law in order to drive long-term results.”
“Like an enterprise, we’re focused on delivering the highest possible value for our shareholders. In this case, the American people and the congressional leaders who represent them. We will deliver that value by scaling back our footprint to shift resources to critical regions, rationalizing our operations and vigilantly fighting fraud, waste and abuse.”
At one point Shah said, “We have spent a lot of time listening and learning about how we can do this work better, more effectively. And the number one thing we’ve learned is we need to be more capable of supporting country-owned efforts and building real capacity through our investments around the world.”
First up is the establishment, or reestablishment, of a Bureau for Policy, Planning and Learning at USAID. Announced in early June, this was one of the first major reforms Shah launched. In a statement, MFAN Co-Chairs David Beckmann and George Ingram said: “The Bureau will restore the ability of USAID’s world-class development professionals to plan and execute innovative, 21st-century programs that deliver better results for the people we are trying to empower and U.S. taxpayers, while also contributing expert input into important national security and foreign policy debates that have major development components.”
In advance of USAID Administrator Raj Shah’s major speech tomorrow, hosted by MFAN Partner the Center for Global Development, we’re revisiting some of the agency’s major reforms over the past year. Be sure to check ModernizeAid throughout the coming days for complete coverage of the speech, including MFAN Partner reactions. Also, look for us on Twitter as we live-tweet the speech by following @modernizeaid and retweet often!
