USAID and the U.S. Government
What are we doing?
The steps the United States Government has taken to strengthen the development as a critical piece of our foreign policy.
"We've embarked on the effort to transform how development is delivered because development is not and cannot be a sideshow. As the President and the Secretaries of State, Treasury and Defense have all made abundantly clear, development is as critical to our economic prospects and our national security as diplomacy and defense."
USAID Administrator Dr. Rajiv Shah
January 19, 2011 - "The Modern Development Enterprise"
USAID and the President's Global Development Policy
On September 20, 2010 the President signed a Presidential Policy Directive on Global Development, the first of its kind by a U.S. administration. The directive recognizes that development is vital to U.S. national security and is a strategic, economic, and moral imperative for the United States. It calls for the elevation of development as a core pillar of American power and charts a course for development, diplomacy and defense to mutually reinforce and complement one another in an integrated comprehensive approach to national security. It provides clear policy guidance to all U.S. Government agencies and enumerates our core objectives, our operational model, and the modern architecture we need to implement this policy.
As we enter our 50th year as the principal U.S. development agency providing assistance to improve the lives of millions worldwide, USAID is pleased to play a leading role in implementing President Obama's vision for global development.
The First Quadrennial Diplomacy and Development Review (QDDR)
The QDDR provides a blueprint for elevating American "civilian power" to better advance our national interests and to be a better partner to the U.S. military. Leading through civilian power means directing and coordinating the resources of all America's civilian agencies to prevent and resolve conflicts; help countries lift themselves out of poverty into prosperous, stable, and democratic states; and build global coalitions to address global problems.
USAID FORWARD
The United States Agency for International Development has embarked on an ambitious reform effort, USAID FORWARD, to change the way the Agency does business-with new partnerships, an emphasis on innovation and a relentless focus on results. It gives USAID the opportunity to transform its agency and unleash its full potential to achieve high-impact development.
Announced by USAID Administrator Dr. Rajiv Shah, USAID FORWARD is critical to achieving President Obama's vision of the United States as the global leader in international development. This initiative is an early outcome of the Quadrennial Diplomacy and Development Review (QDDR) led by Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, and aims to modernize and strengthen USAID so that it can meet the most pressing development challenges and work more efficiently towards its ultimate goal-creating the conditions where its work is no longer needed.
How are we doing it?
Examples of the U.S. Government working together to achieve our common goals.
Global Health Initiative
As part of the U.S. Government's response to care for the most vulnerable, President Obama has two signature development initiatives focusing on global health and food security.
The Global Health Initiative (GHI) is the next chapter in the way U.S. Government agencies conduct global health activities, building on successful bipartisan leadership in global health and expanding their impact for sustainable results around the world. GHI unites U.S. global health efforts in a comprehensive "whole-of-government" approach to health assistance for maximum impact and efficiency.
The GHI helps partner countries improve health outcomes through strengthened health systems-with a particular focus on improving health for women, newborns and children through programs including infectious disease, nutrition, maternal and child health, family planning etc. GHI activities are already being implemented in the more than 80 countries where U.S. Government global health dollars are at work.
For more information on the Global Health Initiative, visit: www.ghi.gov.
Feed the Future
Feed the Future (FtF) is President Obama's second signature initiative focusing on global food security with a pledge of $3.5 billion over five years. FtF recognizes that food security is not just about food, but it is closely linked to economic security, environmental security, and human security. Feed the Future pursues two paths:
- Addressing the root causes of hunger that limit the potential of millions of people; and
- Establishing a lasting foundation for change by aligning our resources with country-owned processes and sustained, multi-stakeholder partnerships.
Through our leadership in this initiative, we advance global stability and prosperity by improving the most basic of human conditions - the need that families and individuals have for a reliable source of quality food and sufficient resources to access and purchase it.
For more information on Feed the Future initiatives, visit: www.feedthefuture.gov.
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