Diplomacy and Development Review Launched

Jul 22nd, 2009 5:29 PM UTC
By Josh Lozman

Prior to departing for Asia, Secretary of State Clinton announced the launch of an effort to bring greater coherence to American tools for effective global leadership and the exercise of “smart power”. The Quadrennial Diplomacy and Development Review (QDDR), built on the Quadrennial Defense Review model, is intended to provide a blueprint to guide U.S. diplomatic and development efforts, with specific attention on policy development, resource allocation, staff deployment, and the exercise of authorities.

Among the anticipated outcomes of this first-ever QDDR are:

• A clear statement of U.S. foreign policy and development goals, and expected results:
• The strategies necessary to achieve those results;
• The tools and resources required to implement the strategies;
• The means by which performance will be measured; and
• The links with the broader all-of-government foreign policy framework

This is a welcome announcement that comes after months of encouragement from Congress and the development community. In May, the House mandated a QDDR in its State Department Authorization legislation, providing a major boost to the effort of setting out a clear U.S. strategy for diplomacy and development.

Despite broad applause from the American development community for the initiative, concerns remain around how the QDDR process will proceed. The effort will be co-chaired by the Deputy Secretary of State, State’s Director of Policy Planning, and the USAID Administrator. With no Administrator nominated, the voice of development in leading the QDDR will be less strong. Having development experts participate closely in the QDDR exercise will also be critical. Secretary Clinton stated a commitment that the QDDR will be inclusive and informed by consultation with civil society and Congress.

It is also unclear how the QDDR relates to another effort, expected to be launched out of the White House in the coming weeks, that will focus on U.S. development policy, including aid, trade, investment, and other related tools involved in global development. There is also some unease about placing diplomacy and development too closely together and not providing sufficient space for development or institutionalizing a framework in which short-term foreign policy interests prevail over long-term poverty reduction efforts.

-Josh Lozman

TAGS: Policy News, QDDR