Yesterday, Inter Press Service (IPS) posted an interview with MFAN Principal and InterAction CEO and President Sam Worthington. IPS’s Aprille Muscara spoke with Worthington about the role of NGOs in providing emergency relief and long-term reconstruction in Haiti and how foreign assistance reform will lead to more effective development. Worthington mentioned InterAction’s work as a Partner of MFAN, specifically citing the Reform Within Reach campaign, and outlined the principle steps for reform MFAN has been advocating for since its inception. He also provided a clear definition of country ownership. Read an excerpt from his interview after the jump and be sure to read the full interview:
Posts Tagged ‘Haiti’
MFAN Principal and InterAction CEO Talks about Reform Within Reach
Tuesday, July 27th, 2010
CQ Article Quotes MFAN Co-Chairs, Highlights Hill Aid Reform Leadership
Monday, July 19th, 2010
A CQ article (full text below) published today, which quotes MFAN Co-Chairs David Beckmann and George Ingram, gives a rundown of how the leadership of Congressional leaders Rep. Howard Berman (D-CA) and Senators John Kerry (D-MA) and Dick Lugar (R-IN) has helped drive unprecedented progress on foreign assistance reform. The missing ingredient that could push reform efforts over the top, according to the article? Presidential leadership.
To join MFAN’s effort to urge President Obama to show leadership on foreign assistance reform and strengthen the U.S. commitment to development, please sign our Open Letter to the President, which has already been endorsed by more than 70 organizations and prominent individuals.
CQ WEEKLY – IN FOCUS
July 19, 2010
Backers Say Time Is Ripe For Foreign Aid Overhaul
By Emily Cadei, CQ Staff
The earthquake that slammed Haiti in January also rocked the U.S. Agency for International Development and its brand-new administrator, Rajiv Shah, who were promptly assigned to head up the civilian U.S. response to the disaster. The experience of the next several months afterward was eye-opening and “helped me shape my agenda for reform for the agency writ large,” Shah said in a speech last month.
USAID Administrator Rajiv Shah Speaks on Global Health Initiative
Friday, July 2nd, 2010
On Tuesday, U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Administrator Dr. Rajiv Shah spoke at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) regarding the president’s Global Health Initiative (GHI), and the steps that USAID is taking to provide effective, long-term assistance. Shah highlighted some of the work the U.S. has done to address global health challenges, and stated that the GHI would commit $63 billion to help countries achieve advances today, as well as reduce future need for aid. He also explained that the GHI will do “more of what works” and will focus on innovation and country ownership, especially prioritizing the needs of girls and women. Concerning the future of global health generally Shah declared, “health is, in fact, at the heart of human progress.” Check out some of the reactions of our partner organizations, ONE and U.S. Global Leadership Coalition after the jump:
Partner Series: InterAction’s Mission to Reform Aid
Thursday, June 24th, 2010
Continuing our series highlighting the work of MFAN’s partners in promoting foreign assistance reform, we will look at the campaign of our partner organization InterAction. InterAction is a coalition of U.S.-based nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) advocating greater coherence of U.S. foreign aid and development programs. InterAction has called for development to be elevated as a national priority, emphasizing its significance if our nation seeks greater engagement with the rest of the world.
Recently, the effort to improve our global development policy has become an increasingly important topic of discussion between Congress, the Obama administration and the aid community. At the recent InterAction Forum 2010, held from June 2-4, USAID administrator Rajiv Shah spoke during the opening plenary session, and commented on the agency’s commitment to working closely with Congress on foreign assistance reform. He said, “We have the unique opportunity to frame what development should be for the next 50 years. President Obama… sees development as a cornerstone of his national security strategy.” Shah cited Haiti as an example of the successes of evidence-based development, mentioning the great strides in improving access to clean water since the start of the post-quake recovery process. You can read more about Rajiv Shah’s opening remarks from InterAction and from our blog earlier this month. (more…)
Partner Series: Oxfam America’s Aid Effectiveness Campaign
Wednesday, June 23rd, 2010
In a new blog series, MFAN is going to feature the work and campaigns of its partners as they relate to foreign aid reform. One partner, Oxfam America has developed an Aid Reform program dedicated to bringing the voices and priorities of people living in poverty to the center of policy and practice. Oxfam believes that improving poverty-focused aid, rather than aid for security or strategic purposes, is the only way to make the U.S. a truly effective provider of foreign aid, by saving lives and helping nearly half of the world’s population to overcome poverty.
The Aid Reform team, directed by Gregory Adams, is conducting analytical and field research to assess the structure and shortcomings of the current U.S. aid system. They have created a report “Foreign Aid 101” to provide a factual overview of U.S. aid and dispel common myths about aid. The report also provides stories that demonstrate aid at its worst, sometimes completely failing to reach the people who need it most, and aid at its best. Examples of the latter include: 
- the eradication of polio;
- increases in literacy worldwide;
- and the National Solidarity Program that gives rural villages in Afghanistan ownership over their own development. In 2003, as part of the National Solidarity Program, villagers in Dadi Khel were able to build their own hydropower plant to bring electricity to about 300 families. The program provides a model for other villages to identify and complete their own development projects.
