Who is usaid

After , many newly independent countries needed assistance to relieve the chronic deprivation afflicting their low-income populations. USAID and its predecessor agencies have continuously provided poverty relief in many forms, including assistance to public health and education services targeted at the poorest. Department of Agriculture. Technical cooperation between nations is essential for addressing a range of cross-border concerns like communicable diseases, environmental issues, trade and investment cooperation, safety standards for traded products, money laundering, and so forth.

Among these global interests, environmental issues attract high attention. USAID assists projects that conserve and protect threatened land, water, forests, and wildlife. USAID also assists projects to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions and to build resilience to the risks associated with global climate change. To support U. Also, when U. In these circumstances, USAID may be directed by specially appointed diplomatic officials of the State Department, as has been done in Afghanistan and Pakistan during operations against al-Qaeda.

To help low-income nations achieve self-sustaining socioeconomic development, USAID assists them in improving management of their own resources. Programs of the various types above frequently reinforce one another. Technical assistance includes technical advice, training, scholarships, construction, and commodities. The various forms of technical assistance are frequently coordinated as capacity building packages for development of local institutions.

Financial assistance supplies cash to developing country organizations to supplement their budgets. USAID also provides financial assistance to local and international NGOs who in turn give technical assistance in developing countries. Although USAID formerly provided loans, all financial assistance is now provided in the form of nonreimbursable grants.

In recent years, the USG has increased its emphasis on financial rather than technical assistance. In , the Bush Administration created the Millennium Challenge Corporation as a new foreign aid agency that is mainly restricted to providing financial assistance. USAID plans its work in each country around an individual country development program managed by a resident mission.

As part of this process, USAID missions conduct socioeconomic analysis, design assistance, award contracts and grants, administer assistance including evaluation and reporting , and manage flows of funds. As countries develop and need less assistance, USAID shrinks and ultimately closes its resident missions. USAID also closes missions when requested by host countries for political reasons. In September , the U.

Its mission in Moscow had been in operation for two decades. The closure was completed on September 20, Shorter tours of one or two years are usual in countries of exceptional hardship or danger. The Mission Director is a member of the U. As a USAID mission works in an unclassified environment with relative frequent public interaction, most missions were initially located in independent offices in the business districts of capital cities.

Embassy chanceries in east Africa in the same year, missions have gradually been moved into U. Embassy chancery compounds. Smith , who was sworn in on December 2, Each Bureau is headed by an Assistant Administrator appointed by the President. Agency for International Development , which conducts criminal and civil investigations, financial and performance audits, reviews, and inspections of USAID activities around the world.

The size of this staff was about 3, in An additional U. USAID Foreign Service Officers are selected competitively for specific job openings on the basis of academic qualifications and experience in development programs. Developing-country communities, firms, and government agencies may have thousands of individuals working on a development project. Examples of projects assisted by Health and Family Planning offices are projects for eradication of communicable diseases, strengthening of public health systems focusing on maternal-child health including family planning services, HIV-AIDS monitoring, delivery of medical supplies including contraceptives and HIV vaccines, and coordination of Demographic and Health Surveys.

Examples of projects often assisted by Education offices are projects for curriculum development, teacher training, and provision of improved textbooks and materials. Larger programs have included school construction. Education offices often manage scholarship programs for training in the U. Counterparts include the judicial sector and civil-society organizations that monitor government performance.

Economic Growth assistance is thus quite diverse in terms of the range of sectors where it may work. Some USAID missions have specialized technical offices for areas like counter-narcotics assistance or assistance in conflict zones. Foreign Disaster Assistance. Rather than having a permanent presence in country missions, this office has supplies pre-positioned in strategic locations to respond quickly to disasters when and where they occur. With the help of the Program Office, the Mission Director ensures that designs are consistent with USAID policy for the country, including budgetary earmarks by which Washington directs that funds be used for certain general purposes such as public health or environmental conservation.

The Program Office compiles combined reports to Washington to support budget requests to Congress and to verify that budgets were used as planned. All Rights Reserved. Governmental agency providing technical assistance and funding throughout the world.

Brief Overview. Established in by President John F. USAID works worldwide to democratize the development process by involving people in the decisions made about their countries and communities for greater sustainability.

Contact Information. Stated Goals. Development priorities are to be set in the host country by those who must sustain them, and decisions about development assistance reached jointly with them.

USAID programs are accountable to the end user or customer. Regions of Work. Areas of Work. Democracy 2.