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FY 2011 International Affairs Budget Request

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.

Global Education News Clips

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.

Policy News Roundup

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.