The strategic and effective use of foreign assistance resources is important to respond to global needs, make the world safer and help people better their lives. It is vital to U.S national security and to establish the United States as the global leader on international development. While the release of QDDR, USAID Forward Initiative and the launch of Caucus for Effective Foreign Assistance are substantive steps taken in this direction; MFAN’s proposed eight legislative standards for global development will go a long way making foreign aid more effective, efficient and accountable in the 21st century.
MFAN has laid down Eight Reform standards to be used as guidelines by policymakers, advocates and other global development stakeholders, while making new development legislations. MFAN, believes that the legislations should work towards:
• Achieving an Overarching Global Development Strategy (GDS)
• Reducing Funding Directives
• Empowering Developing-Country Citizens through Investment in Local Capacity Building
• Adopting an Integrated, Coordinated, Long-Term Approach to Development that is Flexible Within and Across Sectors and Agencies
• Focusing on Impact, Transparency, and Accountability
• Utilizing and Strengthening Existing Structures and Authorities
• Partnering with Other Public- and Private-Sector Donors and Actors
• Relying on Evidence-Based Policies and Analysis and Committing to Rigorous Impact Evaluation
MFAN proposed standards for crafting new legislations are consistent with Global Washington’s four principles of aid effectiveness 1) Transparency and Accountability; (2) Coherence and Coordination; (3) Local Ownership; and (4) Targeting.
Like MFAN Global Washington believes in robust monitoring and evaluation of all assistance programs. It calls for a coherent and well-coordinated approach to foreign assistance efforts and stresses the importance of partnering with private sector and philanthropic community. Global Washington understands that development plans must be tailored to recipient’s cultural, social and economic conditions and should be locally led and owned .It emphasizes the need to focus on building local management capacity and leadership skills to help countries promote growth.
MFAN’s eight reform resonates with Global Washington’s foreign aid policy and can be an important step in improving the structure of U.S foreign assistance and the way it is delivered.
For more detail on each of MFAN proposed standards.
http://www.modernizeaid.net/2011/06/16/mfan-introduces-legislative-standards-for-global-development/