In the wake of the devastating earthquake in Haiti on January 12, 2010, an enormous international effort was launched to rebuild and relieve the many humanitarian demands resulting from the earthquake. So far, “the international aid effort is failing to meet the earliest goals pronounced by the United Nations secretary general, Ban Ki-moon” according to the New York Times’ Neil MacFarquhar.

In his article “Haiti Is Again a Canvas for Approaches to Aid,” MacFarquhar examines the different methods of effective foreign aid and solutions to some of the problems in effecting sustainable development. This article raises some questions as to how to develop and implement an effective aid system: Who should oversee development efforts, foreign governments and NGOs or the local government? To what extent should foreign governments be involved in directing the flow of foreign aid? What areas of development should receive priority over the rest?

Along these lines, Global Washington has drawn on the international development expertise of our supporters from the academic, non-profit, philanthropic and business communities to develop four principles of aid effectiveness that would address the problems of the current foreign aid system:

1. Transparency and Accountability: to make information on strategy, goals and spending easily available to U.S. taxpayers and international beneficiaries, thereby increasing accountability.

2. Consolidation and Coordination: to make sure efforts are not duplicative and are able to meet articulated goals as well as ensure non-aid policies, such as diplomacy, defense and trade, complement aid goals.

3. Local Ownership: to ensure that aid aligns with local priorities, builds local capacity and promotes local economies.

4. Targeting: to direct aid at reducing poverty, especially in the world’s poorest countries

These four principles, if implemented as part of a framework for reform, would combine to strengthen the foreign aid system, making it both more effective and more efficient. To learn more these principles and our recommendations for foreign aid reform, please visit our website to read our white paper here.

This month, President Obama submitted his $3.8 trillion Fiscal Year 2011 Budget request to Congress. Representing just 1.4% of the total FY 2011 Budget, the International Affairs Budget request stands at $58.5 billion. This request would be a $6.1 billion increase over the enacted International Affairs Budget of FY 2010.  While this budget request reflects an overall increase, not all programs and accounts would receive more funding.

Some of the programs and accounts that would receive increased funding from FY 2010 levels include Global Health and Child Survival ($680 million), Climate Investment Funds ($260 million), the Millennium Challenge Corporation ($170 million), the Economic Support Fund ($1.47 billion), and the Peace Corps ($46 million). Most notable among these is the $1.47 billion increase for the Economic Support Fund, all of which going to Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Several programs have been slated for cuts from FY 2010 funding levels, including the U.S. contribution to the Global Fund to Fight HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria ($50 million); Migration and Refugee Assistance ($80 million); and non-UN Peacekeeping Operations ($46 million). The U.S. contributions to International Organizations and Programs would also receive a cut, specifically reducing contributions to the UNDP ($26 million), UNICEF ($4 million), and UNFPA ($5 million).

The FY 2011 International Affairs Budget request also represents a shift in the U.S. Government’s funding priorities for foreign aid. In an attempt to shift focus from a military endeavor to a civilian-led, humanitarian mission, this budget request calls for a $3.6 billion increase for the three Frontline States, Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan.

Apart from these Frontline States, three other areas of foreign aid receive priority in the FY 2011 Budget: food security, health, and climate change. The Budget would devote $1.4 billion to fight climate change, which is divided into the three pillars of Adaptation ($334 million), Clean Energy ($710 million), and Sustainable Landscapes ($347 million).  The U.S. has also committed to provide a share of a $30 billion global financing operation for adaptation and mitigation over the next three years, which is a major part of the Copenhagen Accord agreed to in December.  It is not clear what budget resources will be used to meet this commitment.

Over the next three years, the U.S. has committed to providing $3.5 billion to food security programs as part of an attempt to drastically reduce hunger worldwide. This budget would also mark the introduction of the Global Health Initiative, focused on fighting the spread of infectious diseases, increased nutrition and family planning services, as well as decreasing child and maternal mortality rates. To this end, the U.S. would invest $63 billion over the next six years.

For a more complete and in depth analysis of the Fiscal Year 2011 International Affairs Budget request, please visit the US Global Leadership Coalition, and Modernizing Foreign Assistance Network.

Ashesi University College:

Sarah Murray writes for the Financial Times about Ashesi and its impact in Ghana. Ashesi’s Founder, Patrick Awuah sought a way he could contribute to nation-building efforts in his home country, Ghana and across Africa. He started Ashesi, Ghana’s first liberal arts college which is educating students to be ethical and entrepreneurial leaders.

Goldman Sachs continues to choose Ashesi students. This year, four of the five students selected from Ghana to participate in the Goldman Sachs, London spring internship program are Ashesi students.  This will be the fifth year in a row that Ashesi students have won the opportunity to intern with one of the world’s largest investment banks—Goldman Sachs.

Washington State University:

Ripple Effect Changes Lives in Africa. WSU launched a philanthropic website that may be the first of its kind developed by a college or university. Designed to provide direct aid to impoverished citizens in Malawi, Africa, Ripple Effect lets students, alumni and interested contributors of all ages and abilities leverage WSU’s agricultural, engineering, veterinary science and economic development research and worldwide outreach with gifts ranging from $16 to tens of thousands.

WSU sees continued record enrollment of international students. Washington State University has experienced a 39% increase in overall international student enrollment from spring 2007 to spring 2010. Currently, 5.8% of students enrolled at WSU are international students. There are 1,440 international students this spring semester, a record surpassing last year’s enrollment of 1227 students.

Prema Arasu has been named associate vice president for international programs and chief international officer at Washington State University. “WSU’s strategic priorities in clean technologies, health, food and agriculture, align strongly with our state, national and global concerns of today.” Arasu will have administrative oversight responsibility for education abroad, international student recruitment, international students and scholars, international research and development activities, intensive language training and recruitment, and the global studies degree program.

University of Washington:

UW ranks seventh nationally in students studying abroad. The UW is seventh in the nation among doctoral institutions in how many students it sends on study abroad programs. The UW is also ranked fourth in the nation in the number of students who participate in long-term study abroad programs (a full academic year).

Rural Development Institute:

March 11: International Women’s Day Luncheon, “Women Feed the World.” This year’s theme — Women Feed the World — will address the critical role that land plays for women, who do 60-80 percent of the farming in the developing world, yet own less than 2 percent of the world’s land. The event will feature keynoter Catherine Bertini, Former Chief Executive, United Nations World Food Programme, World Food Prize Laureate, 2003, and Professor of Public Administration, Syracuse University.

BRIDGES to Understanding:

Bridges will be at the World Languages Day conference in Seattle: Friday, March 5, 2010.

Global Visionaries:

Saturday, May 8, 2010: Global Visionaries Annual Auction and Celebration! Supporting the 2010 Gala Auction “Fiesta de Guatemala” will give Global Visionaries’ the opportunity to expand local and international programs and affect the lives of 230 children and future leaders.

Other Global Education News:

Ghana to Host 7^th Africa Investment Forum. The Forum will bring investors and projects together which will support the economic growth required to enable African countries realize their aspirations and prosper in the emerging global economy of the 21st century.

Americans chase internships abroad as a gateway to work. With available jobs at record lows in the U.S., and a business world that is increasingly global, more Americans are seeking overseas internships and other resume builders than ever before, experts say. The number of people traveling abroad for internships from 2000 through 2008 doubled, from 6,950 to 13,658, based on a survey of about 1,500 educational institutions, according to the Institute of International Education.

Students find ways to study abroad despite costs. While some college study abroad programs are suffering from the financial downturn, local students are still finding ways to make their dreams come true of traveling internationally to further their education.

2010 Global Leader Dinner Featuring Rick Steves. OneWorld Now to feature travel guru and TV host Rick Steves at the 6th Annual OneWorld Now! Global Leader Dinner.

CHINA & THE WORLD EXPO:

The World Expo in Shanghai is “the Olympic Games of economics, culture and technology”

China’s Expo pavilion opens to the world
China welcomed international visitors as it marked the completion of the China pavilion for the 2010 World Expo in Shanghai.

Middle class protestors march over World Expo threat to Shanghai homes
Almost 1,000 people in Shanghai have marched furiously on Beijing to protest against being thrown out of their homes ahead of the World Expo.  

China warns Obama not to meet Dalai Lama
China has warned that ties with the US would be undermined if US President Barack Obama met the Dalai Lama.

MIDDLE-EAST:

USAID Unveils New Yemen Strategy
The U.S. Agency for International Development will now target youth employment, education, health care, decentralized governance, agriculture and support for marginalized groups under its new strategy for Yemen. The agency has launched its two new flagship programs for Yemen, which separately deal with community livelihoods and national governance.

Yemen Aid Efforts Suffer Funding Shortage
Lack of funding is hampering United Nations aid efforts for some 250,000 internally displaced Yemenis. The U.N. Refugee Agency has received only 3 percent of its USD35.6 million appeal, while the World Food Program already took a loan of USD4 million from its own resources to support its Yemen programs.

US Helps Create Jobs in Pakistan
The U.S. Agency for International Development is helping create employment opportunities in Pakistan, as it forged a memorandum of understanding with Motorola Pakistan, Sarhad University and Techaccess. The initiative, Daily Times reports, is expected to generate more than 100 job opportunities in the next four years.

HAITI:

World Bank Lauds Switzerland Effort to Return Haiti Stolen Assets
The World Bank has commended the efforts of Switzerland to return to Haiti millions of dollars worth of stolen assets held by the family of former dictator Jean-Claude Duvalier in Swiss banks. It said the money could be used for post-earthquake reconstruction projects and development programs.

Bill Clinton Vows to Speed Up Haiti Aid Delivery
Former U.S. President Bill Clinton has vowed to expedite aid delivery to quake victims in Haiti as the international community scrambled to provide food and shelter to an estimated 1 million people in need of relief in the devastated nation. On a visit to Port-au-Prince Feb. 6, the newly appointed international aid coordinator for Haiti also apologized for delays in bringing help to those in need.

AFRICA:

EAC, Microsoft Partner for East Africa Digital Development
The East African Community and Microsoft Corp. have inked a deal for the development of digital technology in East Africa, IT News Africa reports. Under the agreement, Microsoft will assist EAC in exploring how information and communication technology can help address the region’s most pressing development challenges.

Starbucks Helps Fight AIDS in Africa
International coffee chain Starbucks launched its All-You-Need-is-Love campaign that seeks to mobilize funding for combating AIDS in Africa, according to Aid Watch. The coffee giant gives a portion of its sales to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.

Violence Deters Humanitarian Operations in Congo, UN Says
The United Nations has warned that armed attacks at refugee camps in Congo are interrupting humanitarian operations there, UPI reports. The attack, which killed three people, sought to recruit men to the Rwandan Hutu rebel group. There are about 1.3 million internally displaced people in Congo’s conflict-ravaged Kivu provinces.

OTHER GLOBAL DEVELOPMENT NEWS:

New MCC chief Daniel Johannes discusses plans for 2010 in an interview with devex.

At least 55 countries have submitted climate mitigation plans, in compliance with the Copenhagen Accord.
23 of these are developing countries, including China, which said it would “endeavor to lower its CO2 emmissions per unit of GDP by 40 to 45 percent.”

Senator Lugar in a speech to the Society for International Development,
discussed the need for a “unity of purpose,” where the whole government works together on development outcomes.  This is an important step towards better coordination of U.S. foreign aid policy.

Drop in U.S. aid hits democracy efforts in Ukraine.
Declining U.S. financial support poses threats to Ukraine’s fledgling democracy, The Washington Post reports. The drop in aid has prompted independent Ukrainian exit poll groups to decrease the number of districts they cover, leading to survey results that are at variance with other surveys. The decline, according to the newspaper, can be attributed to “Ukraine fatigue” or the increasing intolerance of the West with political infighting in the former Soviet republic.

We at Global Washington are excited to announce a new feature on our website; a legislative index. This index is a collection of select global development-related legislation from the 111th Congress. For the convenience of browsing the many bills related to development, we have broken the index into nine categories including Foreign Aid Reform, Global Health, Global Education, Climate Change, and Women’s Empowerment and Human Rights. Our legislative index provides links to the official bill summary and current status, one-sentence summaries of selected bills, a list of WA state cosponsors where applicable, and links to news articles and blogs where available. We have also included a section devoted to new and exciting legislation related to global development. Please visit the Global Washington legislative index on our website here.

Global Education News Clips:

To help keep you updated, some interesting global education news stories have been compiled below.  We hope this regular global ed blog helps you to stay on top of hot, new trends!

The Wall Street Journal published an article discussing the study abroad experience, the cost of programs, as well as the pros and cons.

As reported by the Association of International Educators, on January 26, 2009, the U.S. Senate voted to reject Sen. Coburn’s (R-Okla.) amendment to H.J. Res. 45 that would have rescinded $120 billion in federal funding across all agencies.

The Institute of International Education (IIE) reports that it has created an emergency grants program to help students from Haiti on U.S. campuses whose home country support has been seriously affected by the January 2010 earthquake in Haiti.

Take advantage of the many resources offered by EducationUSA!  EducationUSA “represents over 450 advising centers in 170 countries dedicated to providing accurate, unbiased and comprehensive information about accredited U.S. higher education institutions.”

How has the financial crisis affected study abroad?  Read here for a report published by the Forum on Education Abroad.

Check back soon for a compilation of the latest international education news!

Yemen :  Following a failed attempt to blow up Flight 253 from Amsterdam to Detroit on Christmas Day, government officials from around the world met in London to coordinate international efforts to provide assistance to Yemen. Yemen is considered a terrorist hot spot, and is now in the global spotlight.  Officials are concerned about the growing Al Qaeda presence, and are considering using development assistance to thwart its efforts.

Hillary Clinton urges Yemen to ‘take ownership’ of its problems

Yemen Vows Better Use of Aid as Donors Focus on Al-Qaeda Fight

Yemen clashes continue, ceasefire offer rejected

House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs holds hearing– Yemen on the Brink: Implications for U.S. Policy

World Economic Forum:  The World Economic Forum (WEF) is based in Geneva, Switzerland, and was incorporated as a foundation in 1971 under the supervision of the Swiss Federal Government. It is best known for its annual meeting in Davos and gathers intellectuals in addition to top leaders in business and international politics to discuss the most critical issues facing the world including health and the environment. The WEF is not-for-profit, non-partisan, and tied to no national interests.

Surprisingly both the bankers and politicians, who agree on pretty well nothing else, are all thinking globally for the future.

“There will be no return to ‘business as usual.’ . . . More intrusive regulation of the financial system is now inevitable.”

Leaders in Davos Admit Drop in Trust.

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation announced at World Economic Forum in Switzerland that they will donate $10 billion over the next 10 years in the field of vaccine research and distribution.

Brazil’s Silva chastised wealthy nations for triggering the global financial crisis, for not doing enough to help the globe’s poor and for failing to redress historic wrongs.

For more World Economic Forum updates refer to their web site at:

http://www.weforum.org/en/index.htm

Haiti:

High-Level Haiti Commentary Touches on Foreign Assistance Reform Themes

Our foreign aid system is broken with our assistance programs fragmented across roughly 25 government departments and agencies.

The president will call for a three-year freeze on some categories of federal spending, excluding the military and homeland security, foreign aid, Social Security and more.

Americans detained in Haiti were ‘trying to rescue children’

Other News from Around the World:

States renew vows to reduce greenhouse gas emissions

Senators Kerry and Lugar introduced a bill to authorize the State Department and make changes in U.S. foreign relations policy- including to increase the capacity of USAID and improve on its accountability.  This would be the first authorization of the State Department in many years.

African summit hears world ignoring Somalia crisis

US Arms Sales to Taiwan Latest Hit to Sino-American Ties

Land reform in Africa is not simple- many people have benefited from it, but it has also stirred up more conflict in some cases.

Thanks to Global Washington intern Luke Mohr for compiling this Policy News Roundup.

Last night, President Barack Obama delivered his first State of the Union address, after one year in office.  As expected, he discussed healthcare reform, the economic recovery, and national security.  He also went into great detail on the need to create more jobs in this country, and how we can do that through investing in green technology innovations, and expanding trade.

International development does not typically get much attention in a state of the union address.   President Obama did not give significantly more space to development than usual, but he did a nice job of articulating why the United States must continue to help people in faraway lands.  It’s not just about security, or preventing the spread of disease- we do it because it is right. 

We do it because it is right.  This sentiment could be the opening paragraph to a national development strategy, which could improve U.S. foreign assistance greatly.  We need a national development strategy that strongly articulates the U.S. vision and goals for foreign assistance – without it, we’re just shooting out money and programs and ideas from different U.S. government agencies to countries around the world, without any idea to bind it all together, without any way to even check that they meet U.S. goals.  Many of these programs and policies work, but sometimes they are in conflict with each other, and some of them really are just shots in the dark.  We need more coordination, and it has to start with a national strategy.

Here is the excerpt from President Obama’s speech that addresses global engagement:

“That’s the leadership that we are providing –- engagement that advances the common security and prosperity of all people. We’re working through the G20 to sustain a lasting global recovery.  We’re working with Muslim communities around the world to promote science and education and innovation.  We have gone from a bystander to a leader in the fight against climate change. We’re helping developing countries to feed themselves, and continuing the fight against HIV/AIDS.  And we are launching a new initiative that will give us the capacity to respond faster and more effectively to bioterrorism or an infectious disease -– a plan that will counter threats at home and strengthen public health abroad.

As we have for over 60 years, America takes these actions because our destiny is connected to those beyond our shores.  But we also do it because it is right.  That’s why, as we meet here tonight, over 10,000 Americans are working with many nations to help the people of Haiti recover and rebuild.  That’s why we stand with the girl who yearns to go to school in Afghanistan; why we support the human rights of the women marching through the streets of Iran; why we advocate for the young man denied a job by corruption in Guinea.  For America must always stand on the side of freedom and human dignity.” 

“Seattle Greendrinks, SeaMo, ReVision Labs and Global Washington will jointly host a benefit for Fonkoze, a microfinance and development organization in Haiti working on emergency relief and long term reconstruction… Corporate donations surpassed $122 million two weeks after the earthquake, according to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Business Civic Leadership Center. About 300 companies have contributed to relief efforts, and 49 of them have donated $1 million or more.”

Update On Haiti Donations And Events
The Seattle Times |  Posted by Kristi Heim | January 28, 2010

President Barack Obama intends to propose a three-year freeze in spending that accounts for one-sixth of the federal budget – however, military, veterans, homeland security and international affairs budgets (including foreign aid) are safe from the freeze.

The British development agency, DFID, launched a new fund for small non profits

Bill Gates writes about achieving productivity and sustainability in global agriculture in his new blog.

Are African women having too many babies?  See the World Bank blog on Africa and the feisty debate in the comments.

“It is all decided by a professor in New York,” said a shopkeeper in a Millennium Village in Ethiopia, when asked who decides on project priorities in the village.

Google has threatened to pull its business out of China, ending a 2006 compromise in which the company agreed to allow the government to filter taboo topics on searches done inside the populous Communist Party-run country.

And more on Haiti

Global Washington member Agros International blog on relief vs development work in Haiti

Haiti has problems because it wasn’t colonized long enough?    Let’s nip this one in the bud.

Should cruise ships stop in Haiti?

Who is in charge of US relief efforts in Haiti- defense or development?

Beware of sham organizations seeking money for Haiti