MFAN Congratulates Dr. John Nkengasong on his Confirmation as the U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator

By: MFAN
May 24, 2022

May 24, 2022 (WASHINGTON) – This statement is delivered on behalf of the Modernizing Foreign Assistance Network (MFAN) by Co-Chairs Lester Munson, Larry Nowels, and Tessie San Martin. The Modernizing Foreign Assistance Network (MFAN) congratulates Dr. John Nkengasong on his confirmation by the United States Senate to serve as the U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator in the Biden-Harris … Continue reading MFAN Congratulates Dr. John Nkengasong on his Confirmation as the U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator

Meeting the Global Development and Humanitarian Challenges of our Time: Assessing the Biden-Harris Administration’s First 100 Days

By: Conor Savoy
May 12, 2021

The Biden-Harris administration took office in a turbulent time amidst cascading global challenges. The health and socioeconomic impacts of COVID-19 have deepened already-existing inequalities and reversed hard-fought development and humanitarian gains from the past decades. Mounting great power competition, climate change, and the increasing concentration of the world’s poor in fragile states, all require an … Continue reading Meeting the Global Development and Humanitarian Challenges of our Time: Assessing the Biden-Harris Administration’s First 100 Days

PEPFAR will need leadership and signposts on its path to sustainability

By: Dr. Tessie San Martin
January 21, 2016

PEPFAR’s success as an emergency health program is unquestionable and (in many respects) unparalleled.  As Amanda Glassman recently noted, the number of people receiving HIV/AIDS treatment in low and middle income countries has gone from 300,000 in 2003 to almost 14 million in 2015 – and about half of this is supported by the US … Continue reading PEPFAR will need leadership and signposts on its path to sustainability

MFAN and Plan Host U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator Ambassador Birx to Discuss PEPFAR’s Sustainability Agenda

By: Mary Deering
January 20, 2016

WASHINGTON, January 20, 2016 – On Thursday, January 21st, MFAN and Plan International USA will host U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator & Special Representative for Global Health Diplomacy Ambassador Deborah Birx for a keynote address, followed by a panel of development experts for a discussion of The U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief’s (PEPFAR) Sustainability … Continue reading MFAN and Plan Host U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator Ambassador Birx to Discuss PEPFAR’s Sustainability Agenda

USAID and PEPFAR: Institutionalizing Local Ownership for Sustainability

By: Staff Person
March 12, 2015

See below for a guest post from Justin Fugle, Senior Advisor for Policy and Program Outreach for Plan International USA. This piece originally appeared on Plan’s blog on March 9. *** Although the United States Agency for International Development (USAID)’s Local Solutions is often associated with recently-departed Administrator Raj Shah, a panel discussion at Plan … Continue reading USAID and PEPFAR: Institutionalizing Local Ownership for Sustainability

5 things the US government is doing to make foreign assistance more effective

By: Staff Person
April 2, 2014

President Barack Obama issued the US government’s first ever US Global Development Policy in September 2010. The policy clarifies that the primary purpose of US development aid is to pursue broad-based economic growth as the means to fight global poverty. The US Global Development Policy also offers a clear mandate for country ownership—that is, leadership by citizens and responsible governments in poor countries—is how the US government will support development. The US has been moving in this direction since the George W. Bush administration.

New MCC-PEPFAR Partnership Aims to Boost Ownership

By: Staff Person
April 1, 2014

The 2010 QDDR called for the U.S. Government to change the way it does business, particularly, “work smarter to deliver results.” A new memorandum of agreement (MOA) between PEPFAR and MCC announced last week could do just that. Over the next three years, MCC will help PEPFAR increase host-country responsibility and ownership of HIV/AIDS and Tuberculosis (TB) programming in select countries.

PEPFAR and MCC Partner to Promote Country Ownership

By: Staff Person
March 26, 2014

Last week, PEPFAR signed a three-year agreement with the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) to support efforts to promote greater host-country responsibility and ownership in the US global AIDS program. Country ownership has been at the core of MCC’s mission (and structure and governance) since its creation, so it’s exciting to see a formalized agreement that will help facilitate lesson sharing and technical support between the two US development efforts.

2013 SOTU’s Vision For Global Poverty & Progress: How Far Have We Come?

By: Staff Person
January 31, 2014

At a time when we would wish we were closer to reaching the MDGs, and our optimism is burdened by continued poverty and the accompanying hunger, ill-health and strife, it is important to celebrate the progress that has been made and the good efforts that are being made by the U.S. government, private U.S. organizations and individuals, and their counterparts around the world. It also is important to note that there remain other significant parts to the development agenda and commitments to be fulfilled—making our aid process more accountable through better evaluation, transparency, and learning; moving from good policy to actual implementation of local ownership, starting with listening to the needs and solutions of local institutions and individuals; effectively promoting open, democratic political institutions and civil society; and leveraging the talents and experiences outside of government, including the private sector, nongovernmental organizations and academia.

American Foreign Policy and Africa with Senator Johnny Isakson

By: Staff Person
April 1, 2011

Senator Johnny Isakson (R-GA) delivered an engaging and broad-ranging speech on U.S. policy in Africa yesterday at John’s Hopkins’ School of Advanced International Studies. Senator Isakson is the Senior Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on African Affairs, and he has traveled to the continent many times over the last several years. Senator Isakson focused his remarks on three primary areas: 1. U.S. foreign assistance to Africa; 2. U.S. private investment in Africa; and 3. China’s presence in Africa.