Oxfam America’s Porter McConnell shares some news on USAID Forward.

Remember when I told you about the sexy procurement reforms to our foreign assistance that put poor people and their governments in charge of fighting poverty?

The procurement reform just got some company. Recently, USAID formally announced USAID Forward, a bundle of reforms to make USAID more effective.

The reforms are a direct result of demands from US development professionals, citizens of countries where we provide assistance, and governments trying to do right by their people. When we visited Afghanistan, Cambodia, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda, and southern Sudan, here’s what people told us:

1. Building capacity of countries to lead in their own development (“Implementation and Procurement Reform”)

We heard in Kenya: A malaria control official explained to us that the Ministry of Health trains local teams to do indoor residual spraying of houses to prevent malaria. When the US lends a hand, they get US organizations to come in and spray then they leave. But since houses must be re-sprayed regularly to keep malaria at bay, and the US hasn’t trained the locals to take over, the Kenyan official worries that “Kenyans aren’t any better prepared to do it themselves next time.”

USAID is delivering: “USAID’s Procurement Reform Group was charged with exploring ways to make significant changes in how USAID’s assistance is designed and delivered in order to build local leadership and capacity…In FY 2013 USAID will obligate no less than 14% of its program funds through partner country systems in 18 countries. In FY 2015 USAID will obligate no less than 20% of its program funds through partner country systems in 25 countries.”

2. Getting the right people for the job, who know the country where they’re working (“Talent Management”)

We heard in Cambodia: A USAID staff member reported that “when we have a planning meeting with Defense, there are five of them sitting across the table for every one person from USAID. The agency is completely understaffed, especially if we are expected to lead on development issues.”

USAID is delivering: The agency will triple mid-level hiring by increasing the cap on mid-level Development Leadership Initiative hires from 30 to 95 per year to reverse the 38% decline in its workforce between 1990 and 2007. USAID will also now be able to officially classify the Foreign Service Nationals (FSNs) who do the lion’s share of USAID’s work as “experts”, which will lead to a more talented and nimble USAID.

3. Restore USAID’s capacity to get creative in tackling poverty (New USAID Bureau of Policy, Planning and Learning)

We heard in southern Sudan: A USAID staff member told us that “we no longer have our intellectual horses..to tackle philosophical but also organizational and operational issues in development, to be more innovative, to be more adaptive…By losing our most experienced staff [over the years], we’ve also lost a lot of our historical institutional learning. Any change should restore our capacity to lead with ideas, and should respond to the question of how it will strengthen us.”

USAID is delivering: “To make smart, informed decisions, USAID has created a new Bureau of Policy, Planning and Learning (PPL) that will serve as the intellectual nerve center for the Agency. PPL will promulgate cutting-edge creative and evidence-based development policies.”

These are just a few of the changes happening at USAID. To check out the new USAID Forward website, click here. To find out more about what Oxfam heard from people in the field, click here.

- Porter McConnell, Aid Effectiveness Team, Oxfam America

Photo caption: Vendors in Juba’s Konyokonyo market have benefitted from USAID’s microfinance program in southern Sudan. Photo: Omar Ortez/Oxfam America

President Obama knocked it out of the park in his address to the UN MDG Summit this afternoon. We asked for a “barn burner of a speech”, and boy did we get one.

Some excerpts:

“So let’s put to rest the old myth that development is mere charity that does not serve our interests. And let’s reject the cynicism that says certain countries are condemned to perpetual poverty.

“We also recognize that the old ways will not suffice…After all, no country wants to be dependent on another. No proud leader in this room wants to ask for aid. And no family wants to be beholden to the assistance of others.

“Put simply, the United States is changing the way we do business.

“For too long, we’ve measured our efforts by the dollars we spent and the food and medicines we delivered. But aid alone is not development.

“Consider the millions of people who have relied on food assistance for decades. That’s not development, that’s dependence, and it’s a cycle we need to break. Instead of just managing poverty, we have to offer nations and peoples a path out of poverty.

“So we will seek partners who want to build their own capacity to provide for their people.

“Because the days when your development was dictated in foreign capitals must come to an end.

And this can be our plan—not simply for meeting our Millennium Development Goals, but for exceeding them, and then sustaining them for generations to come.”

Some concrete actions to match those words, from the policy released today:

• A new policy for how we spend our foreign aid dollars: “Today, 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.”
• A way to make deliberate choices: “Formulate a U.S. Global Development Strategy for approval by the President every four years.”
• Country ownership: “Place greater emphasis on building sustainable capacity in the public sectors of our partners and at their national and community levels to provide basic services over the long-term.”
• Coordination among agencies, led by National Security Council: “Establish an Interagency Policy Committee on Global Development, led by the National Security Staff and reporting to the NSC Deputies and Principals, to set priorities, facilitate decision-making where agency positions diverge, and coordinate development policy across the executive branch, including the implementation of this PPD.”
• A new partnership with Congress: “In forging this new partnership, we will seek greater flexibilities, including a reduction in earmarks and the ability to reallocate funding from less to more effective programs, while committing departments and agencies to a much higher standard of accountability for results.”
• A seat for development at the table: “To ensure that development expertise is brought to bear in decision making, the Administrator of USAID will be included in meetings of the National Security Council, as appropriate.” [Next step will be to make this permanent.]

Tomorrow, we will hold the president accountable for delivering on his words today. But tonight, we’re joining our friends and colleagues around the world to celebrate.

-Porter McConnell, Aid Effectiveness Team, Oxfam America

This week, world leaders are meeting in New York to plot a path to achieve the Millennium Development Goals by 2015. President Obama is giving a speech at the summit on Wednesday. The question is, will this be just another speech, or will this be the speech of a lifetime?

The Administration first released its plan for the US role in meeting the MDGs in July. This plan is a step in the right direction, but one billion poor people are counting on us to turn those words into action. The President will need to confront some tough choices. It’s time for the American people to hold him accountable for concrete actions to help people around the world beat poverty once and for all.

Thankfully, the US isn’t in this alone: President Obama needs to call on other world leaders to make their own robust plans, and their citizens need to hold them to it. But after world leaders have all packed their bags and returned home, the real work begins. The only way to turn the corner on the MDGs is for the Administration to undertake tough reforms to make our aid work for poor people.

The Administration has made a start: country ownership is at the heart of the Global Health Initiative, Feed the Future, and USAID’s Implementation & Procurement Reform. But to take country ownership from lip service to reality, the Administration and Congress must fix the tangled web of competing agendas that undermine ownership at every turn. That means an overhaul of our Cold-War era foreign assistance legislation, and a seat for USAID on the National Security Council, so our efforts to fight global poverty aren’t diverted to serve narrow diplomatic and security ends. As Ethiopian Minister of Health and Global Fund Chair Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus remarked to policymakers this summer, “People say country ownership is confusing. It’s not confusing, it’s actually really clear. What’s missing is the commitment to implement it.”

We must send the message to President Obama that now is not a moment for a symbolic speech, now is the time for urgent action. If the global economic crisis has taught us anything, it’s that global poverty is a fundamental threat to our shared efforts to build a secure, prosperous and just world. Together we must beat global poverty, and the only way we do that is by recognizing that poor people themselves are critical to the solution.

-Porter McConnell, Aid Effectiveness Team, Oxfam America

Meet Akyema Adausina: he’s 55 and lives in Ghana. In this photo, he’s discussing compensation for farmers to be displaced by a goldmine in Ghana. Citizens like Akyema have to demand transparency from their governments. But the US also has a role to play in letting Akayema and his government know how and where we are giving aid in their country.

In a report released this week, Oxfam America calls for the US to give countries transparent and predictable information about our aid. As part of Oxfam’s Ownership in Practice series, we went to 6 countries and interviewed 200 people from civil society, government, US aid agencies, and NGOs.

What they told us is that even the recipient governments don’t know what programs the US is funding, so it’s tough for any of them to plan for the future. In Ethiopia, for instance, USAID distributed 20 million malaria bednets that will need replacing in 3 years. The group that distributed the nets, and the families that received them, have no idea whether they can expect a new bednet when the old one no longer works.

Based on what people in the 6 countries told us they needed to know, we went back and investigated which parts were available to the public. We found out that information about who is implementing the program, what activities they’re conducting, and the province where they’re working is simply not available for most US foreign assistance.

The report concludes by calling for the US government to practice what it preaches, and share information about aid with recipients. Giving countries this information will help a minister of finance prepare for global economic swings, a parliament keep the president in check, and a citizen group hold its government accountable for building schools and keeping people healthy. And that’s information that everyone will want to shout from the rooftops.

Check out the full report: Information: Let countries know what donors are doing.

To address the problem, President Obama has mandated a presidential review of global development policy (the “PSD”). And Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has launched the Quadrennial Diplomacy and Development Review (the “QDDR”). But these efforts are at risk of becoming an operational plan without a guiding mission.

In an op-ed on foreignpolicy.com Friday, Oxfam America President Ray Offenheiser calls on the Obama Administration to step back from simply stirring this spaghetti and articulate a clear vision for how the United States will fight global poverty.

To figure out whether our aid actually works, we need to know what we are trying to accomplish. Is our primary goal to reward our allies? Is it to keep our enemies from gaining power? Or is it to help people escape poverty and build a more hopeful future for themselves? The Obama Administration needs to answer this question first to get the best structure for our foreign aid.

That’s why Oxfam and others are calling for the Obama Administration to step back and deliver a clear strategy to fight global poverty and meet the MDGs – call it a National Strategy for Global Development.
Check out foreignpolicy.com to read the full op-ed.

-Porter McConnell, Aid Effectiveness Team, Oxfam America

The US government has an incredible capacity to deploy humanitarian aid in emergencies and natural disasters. But an out-of-date bureaucracy is keeping humanitarian aid workers from responding in places like Haiti as effectively as possible.

In one instance, the State Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration (PRM) funds education programs for refugees, while the USAID Office of US Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA) does not do the same for the internally-displaced. In practice, this means that whether a child fleeing conflict gets to go to school or not depends on whether their family has crossed an international border.

The US aid structure must be nimble enough to prevent arbitrary distinctions like this one from getting in the way of helping families get back on their feet.

Learn more about how a government wide strategy, effective legislation, a rebuilt structure, and flexible resources will make it easier for humanitarian aid workers to reach families in need.

-Porter McConnell, Aid Effectiveness Team, Oxfam America

Photo caption: Emergency-preparedness training taught Carmen Sosa how to take charge of her family’s safety the next time disaster hits El Salvador. US aid agencies need the flexibility to support disaster risk reduction. (Liliana Rodriguez / Oxfam America)

So what’s the good news? Aid can be delivered in ways that make a lasting difference, through ownership. That means supporting citizens and governments to lead in their own development. For citizens, our aid can help them hold their governments accountable, and for governments, it can help them deliver on their responsibilities to their citizens.

Oxfam is calling for three key ways that US foreign aid can strengthen ownership:

• Information: let countries know what we’re giving, and where
• Capacity: help countries acquire tools they need to lead
• Control: let countries lead

  But don’t take our word for it. The Obama Administration has given early indications that it is committed to increasing ownership. During her first trip to Africa as Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton said “We will focus on country-driven solutions that give responsible governments more information, capacity, and control as they tailor strategies to meet their needs.”

  As our report is careful to point out, every country is different. Where governments are corrupt or not responsive, the US can provide full information about our aid, and work mostly with civil society groups. However, where governments have a record of providing for their citizens, the US should let countries control their own development. Check out the report, and let us know what you think!

  -Porter McConnell, Aid Reform Campaign, Oxfam America

  ]]> http://www.one.org/blog/2009/09/24/how-do-you-help-one-billion-people-escape-poverty-ownership/feed/ 0 http://www.one.org/blog/2009/09/16/getting-poor-people-access-to-clean-drinking-water-means-reforming-us-foreign-assistance-really/ http://www.one.org/blog/2009/09/16/getting-poor-people-access-to-clean-drinking-water-means-reforming-us-foreign-assistance-really/#comments Wed, 16 Sep 2009 15:35:58 +0000 Porter.McConnell_Oxfam http://www.one.org/blog/?p=8106 Read More »]]> There’s been a lot of great momentum lately about providing clean water for the nearly one billion people in the world without it. In 2005, Congress passed the Paul Simon Water for the Poor Act, and from 2007 to 2008, US funding for water, sanitation, and hygiene programs went up 45%.

  So what’s missing from this picture, you ask? The system to implement it. If we want to make a difference in helping poor families around the world access clean water, we need a modern and efficient aid agency to deliver on our promises. USAID needs an overall plan for fighting poverty in order to get the most out of this amazing infusion of resources for providing clean water. The best way to make a long-term difference in water and sanitation is to integrate water – and all other the other life-saving assistance that ONE members fight for – into a single strategy for fighting global poverty.

  The current system is broken. There’s not even a single place in the US government to find out what the US is currently spending on water & sanitation and in what countries. In the Water for the Poor Act of 2005, Congress mandated an annual report on the government’s progress. But because there are fifteen different US agencies implementing water or sanitation programs overseas, the report does not capture all our efforts. The Millennium Challenge Corporation provided $429 million to help countries upgrade their water delivery systems and connect more households to clean water last year. But that investment is not even reflected in the Water for the Poor Act Report country data, which only reports USAID and State Department activities.

  A scattered bureaucracy may not sound like such an urgent problem, but lives hang in the balance: without a clear direction, our water and sanitation assistance simply isn’t going where it’s needed the most. In 2008,

  • Jordan received over $41 million from USAID for water and sanitation programs in FY 2008, even though 98% of its population already has access to improved drinking water.
  • Niger, where only 42% of the population has access to improved drinking water, received only one-fiftieth that amount.

  Learn more about why lending your voice to the fight for foreign assistance reform can also mean improving access to clean drinking water and improved sanitation for the world’s poorest.

  -Porter McConnell, Aid Reform Campaign, Oxfam America

  ]]> http://www.one.org/blog/2009/09/16/getting-poor-people-access-to-clean-drinking-water-means-reforming-us-foreign-assistance-really/feed/ 7 http://www.one.org/blog/2009/01/13/defense-check-diplomacy-check-now-what-was-that-other-d%e2%80%a6/ http://www.one.org/blog/2009/01/13/defense-check-diplomacy-check-now-what-was-that-other-d%e2%80%a6/#comments Tue, 13 Jan 2009 20:56:20 +0000 Porter.McConnell_Oxfam http://www.one.org/blog/2009/01/13/defense-check-diplomacy-check-now-what-was-that-other-d%e2%80%a6/ Read More »]]>

  Investments in schools like this one in Ghana are crucial to fighting poverty and insecurity around the world.

  President-elect Barack Obama has announced his picks to lead nearly every cabinet agency, down to his announcement of four deputy or under-secretaries at the Department of Defense. And candidate for Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s confirmation hearing – which has been expertly blogged here – began this morning. So what’s missing from this picture?

  In an op-ed on foreignpolicy.com today, Oxfam America President Ray Offenheiser calls on Mr. Obama to start backing his words about fighting poverty and disease around the world with deeds.

  First, the president-elect should quickly name one of the missing players on his foreign policy team – the administrator of USAID.

  Next, Obama must work with national security advisor James L. Jones to give the responsibility for coordinating development policy across the U.S. government to a deputy national security advisor or a senior director at the National Security Council.

  Check out foreignpolicy.com to read the full op-ed.

  - Porter McConnell, Aid Effectiveness Team, Oxfam America

  ]]> http://www.one.org/blog/2009/01/13/defense-check-diplomacy-check-now-what-was-that-other-d%e2%80%a6/feed/ 0 http://www.one.org/blog/2008/06/10/new-day-new-way-launches-aid-reform-on-the-hill/ http://www.one.org/blog/2008/06/10/new-day-new-way-launches-aid-reform-on-the-hill/#comments Tue, 10 Jun 2008 16:36:16 +0000 Porter.McConnell_Oxfam http://www.one.org/blog/2008/06/10/new-day-new-way-launches-aid-reform-on-the-hill/ Read More »]]> The L.A. Times ran an op-ed yesterday suggesting the U.S. use the world food crisis as an opportunity to reshape U.S. agricultural policy, foreign aid programs and image abroad.

  Some excerpts:

  “In 1948, a first lieutenant in the Air Force named Gail Halvorsen began dropping candy bars attached to tiny handkerchief parachutes to the hungry children of Berlin. Many had never tasted chocolate before. The kindness of the “Candy Bomber” came to symbolize the spirit of American humanitarianism…

  The global food crisis offers the United States a fresh opportunity to show the world its humanitarian mettle. In 2007, with prices soaring, the volume of food donated by rich countries to hungry ones actually shrank 15% to the lowest levels in nearly five decades, according to the United Nations….

  So the U.S. will be asked to do more — and it should. The question is whether it can turn this crisis into an opportunity to remake the agricultural and aid policies that have racked up a 50-year record of expensive failure…

  The big thinkers in both presidential campaigns should be mapping out more thoughtful responses to the global food challenge. That means crafting plans both to help the hungry and to improve perceptions of the United States in strategic and suffering areas.”

  Read the full piece here.

  ]]> http://www.one.org/blog/2008/06/10/new-day-new-way-launches-aid-reform-on-the-hill/feed/ 2