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Policy News Roundup – March 16, 2010

President Obama meets with Indonesia's President Yudhoyono, refer to article below. Photo courtesy of Brookings

Haiti:

Should Haiti be made a UN protectorate?   Some say that is the best option for this country whose governance is shaky in the best of times, while others are concerned about taking away its autonomy.  Read the debate at a Brookings event here.

Foreign Aid Reform:

Integrating the three D’s: Former USAID Administrator J Brian Atwood spells out how to elevate development assistance in US foreign policy, and what the challenges will be for diplomats, defense personnel, and development professionals.

With the release of initial findings from the State Department’s Quadrennial Diplomacy and Development Review (QDDR) expected very soon, MFAN has launched a blog series to spur debate on the review and its importance to foreign assistance reform and the future of U.S. development efforts.  The first post – “Time for Hard Questions on the QDDR” by George Ingram – poses candid questions to keep in mind as we read and respond to the release of the initial QDDR findings.  George’s piece will be followed by material from others across the Network on the QDDR, the Presidential Study Directive on Global Development Policy, USAID, country ownership, gender integration, and other reform-related topics.

Other Development News:

President Obama makes symbolic visit to Indonesia
Often described as the most important country in the world that people know the least about, Indonesia welcomed a visit by President Obama. Many feel it is the beginning to placing the country on the map. Furthermore, the “Comprehensive Partnership” that the two countries will formally launch represents the kind of long-term commitment that can go far in helping Indonesia pull its weight in global affairs.

Indonesia urges US to reconsider ban on commando training
Indonesia’s special forces have concentrated on counterinsurgency issues in recent years, but were accused of major abuses in the former Indonesian province of East Timor in the ’90s. As a result, several countries, including the U.S. and Australia, suspended joint military training in Indonesia. The Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa expressed hope that full military cooperation between the two countries could resume. The issue is likely to feature in talks between President Barack Obama and his Indonesian counterpart, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, next week in Jakarta. 

The Overseas Development Institute launched a report on the key recommendations for ‘fragile states’
The meeting series on Development, Security and Transitions in Fragile States, organised by the Overseas Development Institute (ODI) in partnership with the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, brought together an impressive array of experienced and respected politicians, analysts, policymakers and researchers from a vast range of disciplines and background. The speakers discussed the nature of fragility, relationships between development and security, and the challenges of supporting transitional and state building processes.

New aid program challenges traditional development community’s beliefs about poor people’s ability to make wise use of cash
Oxfam Great Britain’s “unconditional cash transfers” are cash payments with no conditions other than that it couldn’t be used for alcohol, drugs or gambling. Oxfam’s reviews of the program found that families had used the money to improve their household food security and overall income, School dropout rates decreased, and gender equity in the village improved, with women sharing control of the money.

Former Air Force sergeant asserts foreign development aid is critical to our national security strategy
Will Bennett, former Air Force technical sergeant, spent 12 years engaged in supporting peacekeeping and wartime missions in Bosnia, Kosovo and Iraq. He says despite many tough budget choices ahead it is imperative that Congress maintain U.S. investments in foreign development not only to help prevent vulnerable regions around the world from descending into strife but also to make the American public safer.

U.S. Contributions to Multilateral Organizations

With the request submitted by President Barack Obama for the FY 2011 International Affairs Budget, much emphasis has been placed on bilateral U.S. assistance programs, namely food security, climate change, and health. But there is another aspect to U.S. foreign assistance that is often overlooked: monetary contributions to multilateral organizations. The importance of providing such assistance is significant. As a leader in the international community, these donations can leverage funding for multilateral organizations from other wealthy nations. Also, these organizations often exemplify Global Washington’s principles of effective foreign aid: coordination, transparency and accountability, local ownership, and targeting aid to those most in need.

As a means to implement these principles on a global scale, the U.S. Government supports two types of multilateral aid organizations in the International Affairs Budget: international organizations and programs and international financial institutions.

Each international organization and program receiving funding from the U.S. has a specific objective to solve problems experienced on a global scale such as climate change, human rights violations, and refugee crises. Organizations that receive U.S. contributions include the International Development Association, The Global Fund to Fight HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria, the Organization of American States, and a variety of United Nations funds.

The two organizations that receive the most money from the U.S. Government, the Global Fund and UNICEF, are instrumental in delivering effective foreign assistance. While not engaging in implementation, the Global Fund receives and disburses funding from the international community to health programs aimed at those most in need. To ensure sustainable and positive results, each plan is developed by the recipient countries and chosen by the Global Fund on a performance-based system. The performance and results of each program are posted on the Global Fund’s website to make their implementing partners more accountable.

Focusing on child survival and education, UNICEF builds protective environments for children and equips local adolescents with the resources necessary to help their communities during and after national emergencies. Through communication and consultation with local populations, UNICEF promotes the participation of the community in meeting needs. Like the Global Fund, UNICEF posts the results of their programs online in an effort to monitor and evaluate progress for future decisions. UNICEF and the Global Fund are thus incredibly efficient in meeting the core principles of effective aid.

Apart from international organizations and programs, international financial institutions are generally focused on providing economic support in the form of loans and grants as a means to reduce poverty and build infrastructure. These institutions are integral to stimulating economic growth in the world’s poorest countries because they provide high-risk loans that private financial institutions would not make.

It is with this model that the World Bank’s International Development Association (IDA) satisfies a core principle of effective aid: targeting assistance to the people that need it the most. While addressing infrastructure construction, agricultural issues, health concerns, sanitation, and education with its loans, the IDA provides loans with no interest to countries selected by their relative level of poverty. Repayment plans of these loans are extended over a period of 35 to 40 years with a 10-year grace period. In doing so, IDA can be considered an effective tool to encourage and support economic growth in the developing world.

In sum, contributing to multilateral organizations is an effective way to leverage more funding for these organizations and a means by which sustainable development can be achieved.

Below is a list of the top ten multilateral recipients of U.S. funding. For a complete list of the funding levels received by each multilateral organization, please refer to the attached chart. Also, to learn more about the principles of aid effectiveness, read Global Washington’s white paper.

Drawing Support for the FY 2011 International Affairs Budget

As Congress examines and discusses the President’s Fiscal Year 2011 Budget Request, we are about to enter a pivotal three week period in which Congress will set the spending parameters with the annual budget resolution. Engaging now is our best opportunity to ensure that Congress supports the President’s International Affairs Budget. Over the coming weeks it is crucial that key members of the Senate hear from their constituents through phone calls and in-state meetings.

We need our members and supporters to reach out to Senator Patty Murray’s office and ask that she support the International Affairs Budget. Also, we are working with the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition to establish a meeting with the Senator during the coming Congressional Easter recess (March 29th-April 9th). Please let us know if you are able and would like to attend a meeting during this period.

As a member of both the Budget and Appropriations Committees, Senator Murray has a significant role in determining the amount of funding for the International Affairs Budget and influencing other Members of Congress. Assuring Senator Murray’s support of the President’s request will be critical to guarantee a strong International Affairs Budget.