Development Community Warmly Welcomes Gayle Smith as USAID Administrator

By: Mary Deering
December 4, 2015

Seven months after her nomination, the Senate confirmed MFAN Co-Founder Gayle Smith as the next USAID Administrator on Monday with a vote of 79-7. The long-awaited confirmation vote was met with enthusiasm from our network. See below for a round-up of statements and blogs from MFAN partners welcoming Gayle Smith to her new post: George Ingram, … Continue reading Development Community Warmly Welcomes Gayle Smith as USAID Administrator

MFAN Applauds Long-Awaited Confirmation of Gayle Smith as USAID Administrator

By: Mary Deering
November 30, 2015

November 30, 2015 WASHINGTON – Seven months since her nomination by President Obama and nearly one year since the announcement that Administrator Rajiv Shah was stepping down, MFAN is pleased to see the Senate take action today to confirm Gayle Smith as USAID Administrator. Having a permanent USAID Administrator in place for the final 14 … Continue reading MFAN Applauds Long-Awaited Confirmation of Gayle Smith as USAID Administrator

Congress Eyes Greater Transparency in Foreign Aid, This Time the Timing Could be Right

By: Lori Rowley
November 24, 2015

From the perspective of both U.S. taxpayers and recipients of U.S. foreign assistance, it’s been a very positive few weeks on both sides of the Capitol. Legislation to advance greater transparency of U.S. foreign assistance programs has now been approved by the House Foreign Affairs Committee and the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. As a staff … Continue reading Congress Eyes Greater Transparency in Foreign Aid, This Time the Timing Could be Right

ACCOUNTdown Reviews USAID Effectiveness to Build for Future

By: Nora O'Connell
August 10, 2015

Recently, the Modernizing Foreign Assistance Network (MFAN) launched the ACCOUNTdown campaign and scorecard to push for greater aid effectiveness reform by the Obama Administration.  ACCOUNTdown focuses on the U.S. government’s progress to strengthening its international development programs’ accountability and country ownership. The ACCOUNTdown report highlighted a range of improvements by various U.S. development agencies and … Continue reading ACCOUNTdown Reviews USAID Effectiveness to Build for Future

Another step forward by USAID on the road to aid transparency

By: Sally Paxton
July 6, 2015

On July 1st, Publish What You Fund released its 2015 U.S. Aid Transparency Review, which assesses the progress of six U.S. donors on their efforts to publish high quality aid information.  The Busan deadline – December 2015 – is when the U.S. has committed to fully implementing the International Aid Transparency Initiative (IATI).  And important … Continue reading Another step forward by USAID on the road to aid transparency

Broad Coalition Calls on U.S. Senate to Confirm Gayle Smith as USAID Administrator

By: Staff Person
June 15, 2015

Broad Coalition Calls on U.S. Senate to Confirm Gayle Smith as USAID Administrator June 15, 2015 (WASHINGTON) – This statement is delivered on behalf of the Modernizing Foreign Assistance Network by Co-Chairs George Ingram, Carolyn Miles, and Connie Veillette: MFAN, along with a broad coalition of international development organizations, policy experts, and the private sector, … Continue reading Broad Coalition Calls on U.S. Senate to Confirm Gayle Smith as USAID Administrator

Country Ownership Metrics: An Underdeveloped Field in Development

By: Rodney Bent, Tessie San Martin
June 4, 2015

The annual funding of U.S. bilateral economic assistance is generally a lengthy process, from the President’s request at the beginning of the year to Congressional action over the summer and early fall.  These budget resources are precious and scarce, which is why Congress spends considerable time reviewing the request.  According to the State Department, the … Continue reading Country Ownership Metrics: An Underdeveloped Field in Development

Success is in the Eye of the Beholder

By: Diana Ohlbaum
May 21, 2015

A good evaluation will tell you whether a program achieved its intended results. A better evaluation will tell you why. But the best evaluation will tell you whether those were the right results — for the people they were intended to help. As the global development community has begun to get serious about conducting evaluations, … Continue reading Success is in the Eye of the Beholder

MFAN Co-Founder Gayle Smith Nominated as Next USAID Administrator

By: Staff Person
April 30, 2015

April 30, 2015 (WASHINGTON) – This statement is delivered on behalf of the Modernizing Foreign Assistance Network by Co-Chairs George Ingram, Carolyn Miles, and Connie Veillette: MFAN applauds today’s announcement by the White House that Gayle Smith, Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Development and Democracy at the National Security Council, has … Continue reading MFAN Co-Founder Gayle Smith Nominated as Next USAID Administrator

MFAN Welcomes Second Quadrennial Diplomacy and Development Review

By: Staff Person
April 29, 2015

April 29, 2015 (WASHINGTON) – This statement is delivered on behalf of the Modernizing Foreign Assistance Network by Co-Chairs George Ingram, Carolyn Miles, and Connie Veillette: Yesterday, Secretary of State John Kerry announced the release of the second Quadrennial Diplomacy and Development Review. MFAN welcomes the new QDDR and is pleased to see a strong … Continue reading MFAN Welcomes Second Quadrennial Diplomacy and Development Review