[Senate Hearing 117-492]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
S. Hrg. 117-492
REVIEW OF THE FISCAL YEAR 2023
USAID BUDGET REQUEST
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HEARING
BEFORE THE
COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN RELATIONS
UNITED STATES SENATE
ONE HUNDRED SEVENTEENTH CONGRESS
SECOND SESSION
__________
MAY 11, 2022
__________
Printed for the use of the Committee on Foreign Relations
[GRAPHIC NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
Available via http://www.govinfo.gov
__________
U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE
49-631 PDF WASHINGTON : 2022
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COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN RELATIONS
ROBERT MENENDEZ, New Jersey, Chairman
BENJAMIN L. CARDIN, Maryland JAMES E. RISCH, Idaho
JEANNE SHAHEEN, New Hampshire MARCO RUBIO, Florida
CHRISTOPHER A. COONS, Delaware RON JOHNSON, Wisconsin
CHRISTOPHER MURPHY, Connecticut MITT ROMNEY, Utah
TIM KAINE, Virginia ROB PORTMAN, Ohio
EDWARD J. MARKEY, Massachusetts RAND PAUL, Kentucky
JEFF MERKLEY, Oregon TODD YOUNG, Indiana
CORY A. BOOKER, New Jersey JOHN BARRASSO, Wyoming
BRIAN SCHATZ, Hawaii TED CRUZ, Texas
CHRIS VAN HOLLEN, Maryland MIKE ROUNDS, South Dakota
BILL HAGERTY, Tennessee
Damian Murphy, Staff Director
Christopher M. Socha, Republican Staff Director
John Dutton, Chief Clerk
(ii)
C O N T E N T S
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Page
Menendez, Hon. Robert, U.S. Senator From New Jersey.............. 1
Risch, Hon. James E., U.S. Senator From Idaho.................... 3
Power, Hon. Samantha, Administrator, U.S. Agency for
International Development, Washington, DC...................... 5
Prepared Statement........................................... 7
Additional Material Submitted for the Record
Responses of Ms. Samantha Power to Questions Submitted by Senator
Robert Menendez................................................ 42
Responses of Ms. Samantha Power to Questions Submitted by Senator
James E. Risch................................................. 59
Responses of Ms. Samantha Power to Questions Submitted by Senator
Benjamin L. Cardin............................................. 83
Responses of Ms. Samantha Power to Questions Submitted by Senator
Jeanne Shaheen................................................. 87
Responses of Ms. Samantha Power to Questions Submitted by Senator
Edward J. Markey............................................... 88
Letter From Senators Bill Hagerty and John Boozman to President
Biden Regarding High Fertilizer Prices, Dated March 16, 2020... 92
Article From Foreign Policy Magazine Concerning Organic Farming
Experiment in Sri Lanka, Dated March 5, 2022................... 95
(iii)
REVIEW OF THE FISCAL YEAR 2023
USAID BUDGET REQUEST
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WEDNESDAY, MAY 11, 2022
U.S. Senate,
Committee on Foreign Relations,
Washington, DC.
The committee met, pursuant to notice, at 2:34 p.m., in
room SD-G50, Dirksen Senate Office Building, Hon. Robert
Menendez presiding.
Present: Senators Menendez [presiding], Cardin, Shaheen,
Coons, Murphy, Kaine, Markey, Booker, Schatz, Van Hollen,
Risch, Barrasso, and Hagerty.
OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. ROBERT MENENDEZ,
U.S. SENATOR FROM NEW JERSEY
The Chairman. This hearing of the Senate Foreign Relations
Committee will come to order.
Administrator Power, thank you for appearing today. I am
pleased that you have been an engaged partner when it comes to
the United States' humanitarian aid and international
development initiatives, and while I may not agree with every
element of the request, it is refreshing to see a USAID budget
proposal that demonstrates seriousness and thoughtfulness.
With the House just passing the Ukraine supplemental
package, which provides nearly $4.4 billion for USAID, I am
pleased and hope that we are going to move it quickly in the
Senate, maybe as early as tomorrow.
Obviously, this is a lot of money and we need to make sure
that the executive branch engages in meaningful ongoing
consultation as the money is being spent and that we are
conducting appropriate oversight.
Under the Trump administration, the value of economic
development and foreign assistance in advancing U.S. foreign
policy was met with skepticism. They hobbled USAID from
fulfilling its mission, demoralizing the workforce and risking
decades of U.S. investment into some of the most vulnerable
parts of the world.
The transactional approach the Trump administration took
through USAID towards providing assistance to countries at the
start of the pandemic was appalling.
When it comes to responding to natural or manmade disaster,
our foreign aid programs should help save the lives of those in
dire need around the world not on the basis of politics, but
out of moral obligation.
This is the standard that has been used for decades and I
trust you are committed to fulfilling that vision at USAID and
to elevating the work of USAID's development and assistance
professionals.
Obviously, our immediate attention is on the fallout of
Putin's invasion of Ukraine. Russian forces have bombed
maternity wards and kindergartens. They have used sexual
violence as a weapon of war. They have executed civilians,
hands tied behind their backs.
In addition to these war crimes, Putin's invasion has
precipitated a refugee crisis and exacerbated a major global
food security crisis across Africa and the Middle East.
As we deliver humanitarian relief in Europe and beyond, the
United States must elevate the needs of women, girls, and other
at-risk populations, and supporting neighboring countries
hosting a huge influx of Ukrainian refugees.
While addressing this crisis and its fallout, we cannot
afford to overlook the rest of the world. When commodity prices
soar, that affects everyone, and I am extremely concerned about
the risk of famine in the Horn of Africa.
Additionally, the retreat of democracy in Africa is
threatening gains made in the Sahel and dashing the aspirations
for participatory politics of millions across the continent.
Whether it is conflict in Ethiopia or kleptocracy in the
Democratic Republic of Congo or a coup in Sudan, USAID is
America's first responder, supporting democracy, good
governance, and providing life-saving assistance to those in
need.
Health systems across the globe have been strained from the
last 2 years of the pandemic. COVID hospitalizations or deaths
are down, but the threat remains. New COVID sub-variants
continue to emerge and I am not convinced that we are prepared.
From vaccine distribution to strengthening our
preparedness, this is an issue that affects the safety of
everyone on the planet and remains a national security threat
here in the United States.
USAID is a critical part of the United States effort to
prevent, detect, and respond to future pandemic threats. Along
with Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean were hard hit by
COVID-19. At the same time, the region is struggling against
the resurgence of authoritarianism from Cuba to Venezuela, and
now the consolidation of the region's third dictatorship in
Nicaragua.
Violent criminals from El Salvador to Mexico are
undermining civilian security, exacerbating the forced
migration and refugee crisis across the region. Our neighbors
in the hemisphere need our assistance. We need to expand
inclusive economic opportunity and strengthen democratic
institutions.
At a time of such great upheaval and distress, I am
reassured that we have a USAID administrator who bore witness
to the siege of Sarajevo and Putin's aggression in Chechnya.
To successfully provide emergency aid, support democratic
governance, empower women and vulnerable populations, USAID
must be a place where all Americans can serve.
I look forward to hearing your plans for modernizing the
workforce to meet today's challenges, in particular, how you
will integrate the chief diversity officer into these efforts,
and I hope that by partnering with small businesses here at
home, our aid programs can have positive impacts both in the
U.S. and abroad.
In closing, let me reinforce just how critical all of these
efforts are. When we do not address economic challenges, it
leads to destabilization. When we do not promote prosperity, it
leads to human suffering.
When we do not show up, it gives the bad guys a chance to
get a foothold.
Administrator Power, I know you strongly believe in these
principles and I look forward to your testimony.
With that, let me turn to the ranking member for his
opening remarks.
STATEMENT OF HON. JAMES E. RISCH,
U.S. SENATOR FROM IDAHO
Senator Risch. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and welcome,
Administrator Power. Glad to have you here. Certainly, you are
at the center of one of the most important undertakings that we
do as America internationally.
Before we get started, I want to try to reset a little bit
about what our understandings are here. During your
confirmation hearing on March 23, 2021, you pledged ``to work
tirelessly with members on both sides of the aisle,'' and to
``be transparent and accessible.''
So you can well imagine I was disappointed by the 9-month
delay in getting responses to the questions for the record.
Nine months is way, way, way too long. These were submitted at
your first budget hearing on July 14, 2021. One member of the
majority has just received a response this week, and we are
going to have to do better than that--do a lot better than that
if we are going to do what we are required to do and that is
our oversight obligation.
I have spent all my adult life in either the executive
branch or the legislative branch, and I know the legislative
branch is always an irritant to the executive branch. It was
set up that way because of our important oversight role.
Turning to the budget, I am concerned by the
Administration's continued misalignment of priorities in
resources. For example, even with historic levels of hunger and
displacement, the President proposes to reduce humanitarian
assistance by 34 percent while prioritizing massive increases
for vague climate commitments.
I suspect--I think, undoubtedly, the President is counting
on Congress to make the humanitarian accounts whole while he
focuses on securing funding for the favored projects. This is
an unlikely outcome.
If the Administration is going to propose such reductions
they should at least get serious about spreading humanitarian
aid dollars farther, including by eliminating the cargo
preference requirements that have outlived their statutory
purpose, unnecessarily increased costs, and delayed deliveries
of life-saving food by months. I am eager to work with you to
finally put more food into our food aid.
As you probably know, and I think almost everybody on this
committee has experienced, virtually everyone we meet with from
the international community is concerned about the coming food
scarcity.
It is going to be a real issue with what is going on in
Ukraine, what is going on with the drought in the areas that
are particularly affected by that. Everybody is going to have
to step up and we are going to have to redouble our efforts.
I also have concerns about the President's prioritization
of multilateral commitments for global health over funding for
proven bilateral programs.
This includes an unprecedented request for $6.5 billion
dollars in mandatory spending for an international financing
mechanism and a health workers initiative that is nowhere fully
baked yet and not ready.
It is clear--indeed, I believe, more than clear--that
carefully planned strategically targeted foreign assistance can
advance the national security, the economic, and humanitarian
interests of the United States.
It is also clear that poorly planned and executed programs
can have the opposite effect. We need to get it right.
I am pleased by the emphasis on promoting democracy,
rights, and good governance. In too many places democracy is in
retreat, from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe. I am eager to hear how
this budget specifically will help promote good governance,
combat corruption, and empower democratic voices.
Which brings me to Ukraine. The United States has been
very, very generous in its efforts to get let life-saving
assistance to the people made vulnerable by Putin's unprovoked,
brutal, and murderous war in Ukraine.
As the United States begins to reopen its embassy in Kyiv,
I hope USAID will also return and resume its in-person efforts
to ensure aid is actually getting to local networks and that
are committed to going the last mile.
In Africa, I remain concerned about how USAID is
approaching assistance to Sudan and South Sudan. Both countries
continue to face complex crises and it is clear, quite clear,
the United States response is not moving the needle.
I understand the complexity. I understand the difficulties,
but the needle is not moving. Things have to be done
differently. These situations are unsustainable, require a
review by the agency.
Meanwhile, in Kenya, accountability for the mismanagement
and theft of U.S. assistance, particularly global health
assistance, remains elusive. I have requested USAID's office,
OIG, make more frequent inspections of troubled USAID missions
such as in Kenya so the agency can better uphold its commitment
to zero tolerance, which we all know you have, for waste,
fraud, and abuse.
Turning to the Indo-Pacific, I want to understand in
greater detail exactly how USAID will use the Countering PRC
Malign Influence Fund, especially when it comes to building
economic resilience among partners.
Regarding the Pacific Islands, we have stepped up our
diplomatic and development engagement with the Pacific Islands
in recent years. There is more to do, including alongside
Australia and New Zealand. I want to understand what USAID is
doing in this critical part of the world.
Regarding the Middle East, I have been very vocal about my
concerns with this Administration's Syria policy. Caesar
sanctions have been too few and we are failing to curb Arab
outreach to the Assad regime.
International and economic isolation remain the best tools
to seek accountability for Assad's crimes. We can never return
to business as usual and Assad has got to be held accountable.
In the West Bank and Gaza, as we continue discussions on
assistance to the Palestinians, we must push harder for
Palestinian reforms. Specifically, we must achieve complete
elimination of the ``pay to slay'' program and use any and all
leverage to do so.
On Afghanistan, I am concerned about the Administration's
plan to issue a national interest waiver that would allow
direct financial benefit to the Taliban. Instead of opening the
door to financial assistance, we should be conditioning it upon
Taliban first--first--meeting human rights and counterterrorism
benchmarks.
The Taliban's recent edict ejecting women and girls from
school and the reimposition of guardianship laws are
exceptionally troubling. We should focus on creating real
leverage if we ever want to see changes in the Taliban conduct.
I look forward to working with you to address these
challenges, and they are heavy challenges, including by
carefully aligning priorities and resources. We look forward to
your testimony.
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
The Chairman. Thank you, Senator Risch.
We will start with the administrator's testimony. Again,
welcome. I know how much you love being here with us today and
so we would ask you to summarize your statement in around 5
minutes or so, so that we can have a conversation with you.
Please go ahead. You are recognized.
STATEMENT OF HON. SAMANTHA POWER, ADMINISTRATOR, U.S. AGENCY
FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT, WASHINGTON, DC
Ms. Power. Thank you so much.
Chairman Menendez, Ranking Member Risch, and distinguished
members of the committee, Senator Johnson, Senator Cardin,
Senator Kaine, and others who will join us.
I do look forward to having the chance to respond to some
of what you, Mr. Chairman, and you, Ranking Member Risch, have
said in your opening statements.
Let me use mine, if I could, just to frame the discussion
that I hope we can have over the next couple of hours.
I would like to start just by saying it is no overstatement
to say that we are gathering, really, at a profound juncture in
history. For 16 straight years, we have seen the number of
people living under democratic rule decline.
The world is now less free and less peaceful than at any
point since the end of the Cold War, and for several years, as
we have seen vividly, graphically, and horrifically in recent
days in Ukraine, autocracies have grown increasingly brazen on
the world stage, claiming that they can get things done for
their people with a speed and effectiveness that they say
democracies cannot match.
Today, we see just how empty that rhetoric is and just how
dark the road to autocracy can be, from Vladimir Putin's brutal
war on a peaceful neighbor in Ukraine to the People's Republic
of China's campaign of genocide and crimes against humanity in
Xinjiang.
Now, with autocracies on their back heel, now is the moment
for the world's democracies to unite and take a big step
forward after so many years of losing ground. If the world's
free nations with the United States in the lead are able to
unite the efforts of our allies, the private sector, and our
multilateral institutions and marshal the resources necessary
to help partner nations, we have a chance to extend the reach
of peace, prosperity, and human dignity to billions more
people.
This has been USAID's mission since its inception six
decades ago and I am truly grateful to you for your continued
bipartisan support of our efforts to save lives, strengthen
economies, prevent fragility and conflict, promote resilience,
and bolster freedom around the world.
USAID's work is a testament to the fact that America cares
about the plight of others, that we can competently accomplish
mammoth goals that no other country can, and that the work we
do abroad also matters to Americans here at home.
It makes us safer, it makes us more prosperous, and it
engenders goodwill that strengthens alliances and global
cooperation and creates a better future for generations to
come.
Thanks to your past support, the United States has helped
get more than half a billion COVID-19 vaccines to people in 115
countries.
We have led life-saving humanitarian and disaster responses
in 68 countries including Haiti, Ethiopia, and Ukraine; helped
enhance pathways for legal migration to the United States while
working to strengthen worker protections; and we have assisted
the relocation and resettlement of Afghan colleagues and
refugees under the most dire of circumstances while pivoting
our programming in Afghanistan to address ongoing food
insecurity and public health needs and continuing to push to
keep women and girls in school.
We are also making strides to become much more nimble as an
agency at a time of immense demands, shoring up a depleted
workforce by welcoming new recruits and operating with greater
flexibility.
The Biden-Harris administration's FY 2023 discretionary
request of $29.4 billion will build on these steps forward,
giving us the ability to invest in the people and systems to
meet the world's most significant challenges so the United
States can seize this moment in history.
Last night, with bipartisan support, the House took a major
step in that direction by passing a nearly $40 billion package
for Ukraine, and we are hopeful for its speedy passage in the
Senate.
Yet, the challenges we face are significant. Putin's war
has displaced more than 13 million people, including two-thirds
of Ukraine's children. It has led to serious disruptions to
global food, fuel, and fertilizer supplies around the world,
further taxing the already overwhelmed international
humanitarian system.
Two difficult years of the COVID-19 pandemic have set back
development gains, and despite the United States' leadership in
vaccinating the world, that job remains unfinished.
Multibillion-dollar climate shocks appear each year with
more frequency, and continued humanitarian crises remain in
Ethiopia and elsewhere. Yet, as grave as the challenges are, I
sincerely believe the opportunity before us is even larger.
By providing the resources necessary to seize this moment,
the United States can galvanize commitments from our allies and
our private sector partners and demonstrate to the world that
democracies can deliver in a way that autocracies cannot.
These actions are key to reversing years of democratic
decline and creating a more stable, peaceful, prosperous future
for people at home and abroad.
With your support, USAID will move aggressively to grasp
this opportunity to build that brighter future for all.
Thank you so much.
[The prepared statement of Ms. Power follows:]
Prepared Statement of Ms. Samantha Power
Thank you Chairman Menendez, Ranking Member Risch, and
distinguished members of the Subcommittee. I am grateful for the
opportunity to discuss the Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 President's Budget
Request for the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).
It is no overstatement to say we gather at a profound juncture in
history.
For 16 straight years, we've seen the number of people living under
democratic rule decline--the world is now less free and less peaceful
than at any point since the Cold War. And for several years,
autocracies have grown increasingly brazen on the world stage, claiming
that they can get things done for the people with a speed and
effectiveness that democracies cannot match.
Today, we see just how empty that rhetoric is, and just how dark
the road to autocracy can be. Vladimir Putin's brutal war on a peaceful
neighbor in Ukraine has shown a callous disregard for human life,
global stability, and the very idea of truth itself. The courage of the
people of Ukraine and the stalwart support of the United States and our
allies and partners has unified and inspired people around the world
striving for peace, democracy, human rights and freedom. Meanwhile, the
People's Republic of China continues its campaign of genocide and
crimes against humanity in Xinjiang, forcibly detaining more than one
million Uyghurs and members of other ethnic and religious minority
groups.
If the world's free nations, with the United States in the lead,
are able to unite the efforts of our allies, the private sector, and
our multilateral institutions, and marshal the resources necessary to
help partner nations stand up to autocracies, manage the aftershocks of
Putin's war against Ukraine, end the pandemic, fight climate change,
prevent conflict and promote stability, and safeguard democratic
reforms, we have a chance extend the reach of peace, prosperity, and
human dignity to billions.
This has been USAID's mission since its inception six decades ago,
and I am immensely grateful to you for your continued bipartisan
support of our efforts to save lives, strengthen economies, prevent
fragility, promote resilience, and bolster freedom around the world.
USAID's work is a demonstration to the world that America cares about
the plight of others, and that we can competently accomplish mammoth
goals that no other country can. But the work we do abroad also matters
to Americans here at home--it makes us safer, more prosperous,
engenders goodwill that strengthens alliances and global cooperation,
and creates a better future for the generations to come.
The Biden-Harris administration's FY 2023 Request of $29.4 billion
fully funding foreign assistance this is partially implemented by USAID
is a reflection of the critical importance of development and
humanitarian assistance in advancing U.S. interests around the world.
The FY 2023 request also includes vital assistance to respond to the
growing number of development priorities and global humanitarian
crises. The Request additionally includes $6.5 billion in mandatory
funding for the State Department and USAID to make transformative
investments in pandemic and other biological threat preparedness
globally, including financing for the new pandemic preparedness and
global health security fund being established this summer, with
leadership by the Indonesian G20 presidency and other partners around
the world.
We know, though, that the mammoth needs around the world--from the
COVID-19 pandemic's continued effects to multi-billion dollar climate
shocks to a spike in global food, energy, and fertilizer prices due to
the Russian Federation's belligerence--are far larger than any single
nation's ability to meet them. The request will allow the United States
to lead, and in leading, allow us to mobilize allies, organizations,
and private sector partners to contribute more to the causes critical
to our nation's interests.
Thanks to your past support, the United States has helped get more
than half a billion COVID-19 vaccines to people in 115 countries; led
life-saving humanitarian and disaster responses in 68 countries,
including Haiti, Ethiopia, and Ukraine; helped enhance pathways for
legal migration to the U.S. while working to strengthen worker
protections; and assisted the relocation and resettlement of Afghan
colleagues and refugees under the most dire of circumstances, while
pivoting our programming in Afghanistan to address ongoing food
insecurity and public health needs, and continuing to push to keep
women and girls in school.
We are also making strides to become a much more nimble Agency at a
time of immense demands, shoring up a depleted Agency by welcoming new
recruits, and operating with greater flexibility. The FY 2023 Request
will build on these steps forward, giving us the ability to invest in
the people and systems to meet the world's most significant challenges
so the United States can seize this moment in history.
supporting the people of ukraine and managing the global food crisis
stemming from the kremlin's war of aggression
As we enter the third month of the Russian Federation's full-scale
war of aggression against Ukraine, the humanitarian situation has grown
dire, especially in the country's east, even as Ukraine continues to
put up stiff resistance on the battlefield. We are actively programming
resources passed in the March 15 Ukraine Supplemental Act and seeking
additional supplemental resources to continue supporting the people of
Ukraine and address rising global food insecurity as they continue to
defend their sovereignty and their country. These resources are
critical to making sure that Russia's war against Ukraine is a
strategic failure for the Kremlin, while easing the global suffering
their actions have caused.
Since the war began, more than 13 million people have been
displaced--over a quarter of Ukraine's population including two-thirds
of the country's children. That includes 5.7 million refugees, 90
percent of whom are women and children. An estimated 7.7 million more
people are internally displaced inside Ukraine. An estimated 15.7
million people inside Ukraine will need humanitarian assistance over
the next 4 months.
These supplemental resources that Congress provided have been
instrumental in surging critically-needed assistance to those in need
in the country, and to mobilizing the humanitarian systems required to
coordinate a significant response. To date, our implementing partner,
the World Food Program--which was not present on the ground in Ukraine
when the conflict broke out--has scaled up its presence, and has now
provided nearly 3.5 million people with rapid response rations, bread
distributions, and cash-based transfers, with plans to increase
distribution to reach 6 million people by June. With support from the
United States and other donors, UNICEF and its local partners have
provided critical health supplies to support access to primary health
care for over 1.5 million children and women and ensured access to safe
water for nearly 1.3 million people in affected areas as of May 3.
While much has been accomplished, we recognize that more must be done,
particularly in securing humanitarian access to reach those in active
conflict zones with the assistance they urgently need.
To support the Ukrainian Government's ability to administer
services and manage its budgetary needs, USAID has contributed $500
million to the World Bank's Multi-Donor Trust Fund for Ukraine (MDTF),
and as President Biden announced recently, we plan to transfer an
additional $500 million from the FY 2022 Ukraine Supplemental
Appropriations Act, for a total of $1 billion. The supplemental funding
will also enable us to provide assistance to Ukraine and neighboring
frontline states like Moldova. This plan focuses on economic
stabilization, countering disinformation, and promoting energy
independence.
Of course, Putin's war has effects beyond Ukraine's borders. The
Kremlin's invasion of Ukraine has led to serious disruptions to global
food, fuel, and fertilizer supplies, while also denting crop production
and household incomes, and causing already high food prices to rise
further, thereby taxing the international humanitarian system. USAID is
coordinating with other U.S. Departments and Agencies to respond to
immediate, medium-, and long-term impacts on global food security and
nutrition. Estimates suggest that up to 40 million additional people
could be pushed into poverty and food insecurity over the coming year--
in addition to the over 800 million people around the world who already
face hunger. These populations are mostly focused in the Middle East,
and West and East Africa, where higher fertilizer prices today threaten
crop yields and harvests tomorrow. With the main planting season about
to begin, countries like Ethiopia and South Sudan face the possibility
of significant reductions to projected crop yields, food accessibility,
and household incomes.
Putin's attack and its devastating effects on global food security
comes on top of 2 years of record food insecurity as a result of the
COVID-19 pandemic and climate change. In FY 2022, nearly two-thirds of
our Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance's programming was to address
food insecurity and prevent famine through emergency food assistance
and related programming. This year, a similar proportion of funding
will go to address growing food insecurity, however, due to the
skyrocketing costs of food and fuel, the same amount of funding will
reach 10 million fewer people.
In light of the food crisis, USAID, together with our partners at
USDA, have made the exceptional decision to draw down the full balance
of the Bill Emerson Humanitarian Trust--$282 million--which will be
used to procure U.S. food commodities to bolster existing emergency
food operations in six countries facing severe food insecurity:
Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, Sudan, South Sudan, and Yemen. We are
immensely grateful to USDA, which will provide $388 million in
additional funding through the Commodity Credit Corporation to cover
transportation and other associated costs so that food can get to
places around the globe where it is needed most.
Yet even as we meet short-term food assistance needs, we must
continue to invest in long-term food security and build resilient food
systems so that countries have the ability to feed themselves, lower
their dependence on Russian wheat and agriculture, and manage future
food shocks.
The United States Government has long been a global leader in
addressing global food insecurity. In the first 7 years since the
launch of the U.S. Feed the Future Initiative, the program is estimated
to have lifted 23.4 million people out of poverty, 5.2 million
households out of hunger, and 3.4 million children from risk of
stunting. That's in addition to the program's measurable benefits for
farmers and agribusinesses here in the U.S. and around the world, due
to increased agricultural productivity, trade, jobs and income, and
U.S. exports.
And yet, new disruptions to food security around the world indicate
that our need for funding will continue to be significant. That's why
the FY 2023 Request includes over $1 billion in State and USAID
economic and development funding for global food security. This money
will go towards bolstering Feed the Future initiatives around the
world, strengthening food systems, supporting farmers, and building
community resilience.
controlling covid-19 and strengthening global health leadership
Much has changed from the haunting early days in March 2020. Thanks
to funding from the American Rescue Plan Act and additional
supplemental appropriations, the United States has been the clear
leader in the international response to COVID-19, already investing
over 95 percent of the funding Congress has generously provided to us,
and we expect to obligate virtually all of the remaining funds by July.
We have expanded testing, treatment, and surveillance in countries
around the world. In hotspots in Africa, South Asia, Latin America, and
the Caribbean, we have provided rapid responses for urgent healthcare
needs, critical commodities, and technical assistance. And we have
helped support developing countries in mitigating the transmission and
morbidity of COVID-19, while also helping those countries prevent and
mitigate food insecurity, gender-based violence, and other secondary
effects of COVID-19.
Our Agency has also helped lead the effort to vaccinate the world.
In partnership with the Department of Defense, we have procured 1
billion Pfizer vaccine doses for up to 100 countries around the world,
free of charge and with no strings attached. We are addressing the most
urgent vaccine delivery and country readiness needs in more than 100
countries, including surge support to 11 countries in sub-Saharan
Africa, under the U.S. Government's Global VAX initiative. We are
leading Global VAX as a whole-of-government effort in close partnership
with the Centers for Disease Control--and we are already seeing
significant vaccination progress in these countries such as Uganda,
where vaccination coverage increased fivefold between January and May,
and Nigeria, where vaccination rates increased nearly threefold during
that same time period.
And yet, our job remains unfinished. Many countries are still off
track to hit their vaccination coverage targets this year. Global
testing, treatment, and health services still lag. Without additional
resources, many of our programs will begin wrapping up activities and
closing down this fall. And we risk a significant loss of progress in
our other global health programs if we cannot secure needed emergency
funds. That's why President Biden requested $22.5 billion in
supplemental funding to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, $5 billion of
which would be dedicated to global efforts.
Additional supplemental funding would enable a significant
expansion of our international vaccination drive, provide surge support
to an additional 20-to-25 undervaccinated countries in significant
need, countries like Liberia, where 24 percent of the population is
vaccinated, and Haiti, where less than 2 percent of the population is
fully vaccinated. It would also support other international COVID-19
response priorities like providing boosters and pediatric vaccinations,
testing, treatments--including the newest, high-impact antivirals--as
well as additional health services that would reach an additional 100
million people.
Such funding is essential if we are ever to turn COVID-19 from a
damaging global pandemic into a manageable respiratory disease.
Barring additional funding, the United States will have to turn its
back on the countries that need urgent help to boost their vaccination
rates and access lifesaving treatments. Failing to help these countries
get shots into arms and reduce severe disease means we will leave their
populations unprotected and allow the virus to continue mutating into
new, potentially more dangerous variants. Scientific research has
established that new variants are more likely to emerge from a long-
term infection in immuno-compromised individuals who lack access to
vaccination or treatment. These variants will inevitably make their way
onto American soil, close down American cities, and infect and cost
American lives.
This week, the United States, Belize, Germany, and Senegal will co-
host the second Global COVID-19 Summit. The Summit will redouble our
collective efforts to end the acute phase of the COVID-19 pandemic and
prepare for future health threats. And we have called on our global
partners--governments, civil society, philanthropies, and businesses--
to bring commitments to the table.
As we race to end the pandemic, USAID continues to push ahead on
our broader global health efforts. The FY 2023 Request for USAID
includes $3.96 billion to advance American leadership in Global Health
and Global Health Security. These funds will help to prevent child and
maternal deaths, bolster nutrition, control the HIV/AIDS epidemic,
expand the global health workforce, and combat infectious diseases.
Funding in USAID-managed assistance will respond to the ongoing impacts
of the COVID-19 pandemic on global health programs including
tuberculosis and malaria, as well as strengthening health systems and
global health security to better prevent, detect, and respond to future
infectious disease outbreaks.
In addition, the FY 2023 Request includes $6.5 billion in mandatory
funding for the Department of State and USAID for critical pandemic
preparedness activities. These funds will make transformative
investments in pandemic and other biological threat preparedness
globally by strengthening the global health workforce, advancing
pandemic vaccine development, replenishing emergency response capacity,
and providing health security financing to prevent, detect, and respond
to future infectious disease outbreaks.
bolstering democracy, human rights,
and governance and fighting corruption
As the pandemic stretched into a second year, pro-democracy
movements in many countries faltered, while governments, under guise of
ending the pandemic, enacted new restrictions on human rights and
fundamental freedoms. Disinformation ran rampant and sowed division
within and between free nations. And the Chinese and Russian
governments have worsened these trends by supporting authoritarian
actors all over the world.
At the same time, corruption has increased in scale and scope.
Today's corrupt actors are highly networked, agile, and resourced--and
for the most part, they outmatch those who stand against them. USAID's
Anti-Corruption Task Force found that USAID Missions have extremely
limited--and in some cases, no--resources to defend against corruption.
While this is incredibly concerning, it's also a historic window of
opportunity for reform.
This opportunity, combined with the increased threats of corruption
and democratic backsliding, is why the FY 2023 Request includes over
$2.94 billion to revitalize global democracy. These funds will empower
local partners, provide transparency in political systems, and address
authoritarianism and disinformation. Of this foreign assistance request
for democracy, roughly $2.6 billion is in accounts that USAID will
fully or partially manage. The request will advance the Presidential
Initiative for Democratic Renewal introduced at the Summit for
Democracy, a landmark set of policy and foreign assistance initiatives
that support free and independent media, empower historically
marginalized groups and democratic reformers, and help develop open,
secure, and inclusive digital ecosystems.
Traditionally, our democracy assistance has emphasized media
training, election monitoring, and human rights advocacy. But as we've
seen, countries in the midst of a civilian transition or with a newly
elected leader who rose to power on the back of a campaign to fight
corruption or expand the rule of law, need not only traditional
democracy assistance and investments in civil society to hold
governments accountable, but resources that can immediately deliver a
democratic dividend that demonstrate the value of good governance and
strong institutions and services for citizens. That might include
support to acquire vaccines, establish a social safety net, or invest
in a power utility to keep the lights on. This funding will give us the
flexibility to support countries in the event of a democratic opening--
so-called democratic ``bright spots''--with the resources they need to
demonstrate that democracies can deliver for their people. This amount
also includes $100 million to fight transnational corruption by
empowering anti-corruption champions, strengthening partner countries'
ability to detect and prevent corruption, and exposing and disrupting
the flow of illicit money, goods, and natural resources.
The President's FY 2023 request includes $2.6 billion for USAID and
the Department of State to promote gender equality and the political,
economic, and social empowerment of women and girls; prevent and
respond to gender-based violence; expand access to child, elder, and
home care services and address gender discrimination and systemic
inequities blocking the full participation of women and girls, men and
boys, and individuals of other gender identities--all by integrating
gender equality across a range of development, humanitarian and
security assistance. This historic request would more than double our
commitment to women's empowerment and gender equality.
Advancing gender equality reduces poverty, promotes economic
growth, increases access to education, improves health outcomes,
advances political stability, and fosters democracy. The full
participation of all people is essential to economic well-being,
health, and security.
restoring u.s. climate leadership
Recently, USAID launched a new Climate Strategy that will guide our
efforts to tackle the existential threat of climate change over this
decade in a way that is truly transformational.
Our Climate Strategy lays out six ambitious targets to be achieved
between 2022-2030, which together would represent a dramatic increase
in our Agency's efforts to stem the climate crisis. These targets
include preventing 6 billion metric tons of global greenhouse gas
emissions--the equivalent of taking 100 million cars off the road for a
decade--and conserving 100 million hectares of critical landscapes, an
area more than twice the size of California. We would also support 500
million people to better prepare for and adapt to the impacts of
climate change that are already wreaking havoc on marginalized
communities.
The President's FY 2023 Request includes $2.3 billion in
international climate financing, and given the substantial gap in
climate financing globally, USAID's Climate Strategy places a special
emphasis on catalyzing substantial new private investment for climate
mitigation and adaptation; our goal is to kickstart $150 billion in new
public and private climate finance by 2030. We are also focused on the
conservation, restoration and management of 100 million hectares of
carbon critical landscapes by 2039--land that captures and stores
carbon while preserving biodiversity and helping to prevent zoonotic
transfer of diseases driven by habitat destruction.
We also continue to work closely with the Government of India
through the support of their global climate initiative, the Coalition
for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure. The United States is a founding
member of the coalition, and we have invested in supporting its
technical leadership and formalization, with a goal of creating a
global body that will advocate for the creation of infrastructure that
can withstand climate and disaster risks and disseminate best
practices. Since its founding in 2019, the Coalition now has 35 global
members and over 400 companies, all working to share expertise and
strengthen resilient infrastructure development across the globe.
addressing irregular migration from central america
In the past 6 months alone, USAID programming in Central America
has created more than 40,000 jobs, provided life-saving humanitarian
assistance to 1.8 million people, supported distribution of more than
10 million COVID-19 vaccine doses, and helped mobilize $1.2 billion in
private investment. Because one of the most effective ways to counter
irregular migration is to provide legal means for securing seasonal or
temporary migration, we have helped expand labor migration pathways
from El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras through the H-2B seasonal
visa program. And we have used policy, development, and diplomatic
tools to pressure leaders in the region to govern democratically and
transparently.
But as demonstrated by the continued arrival of migrants at
American borders, much more work is needed. Individual migration
decisions are complex, but they are rarely made on a whim, and we use
data from multiple sources to understand their root causes and target
our programs accordingly. As documented by the Government
Accountability Office, the decision to suspend most assistance to
Northern Central America in 2019 adversely impacted over 80 percent of
USAID projects, and we continue to work aggressively to restart,
optimize and scale our programs. For FY 2023, USAID and the Department
of State are requesting $986.8 million to support the second year of
implementation of the U.S. Strategy to Address the Root Causes of
Migration in Central America.
Using this money, we will continue working with partners in civil
society, government, and the private sector to address the drivers of
migration from El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras--drivers like lack
of economic opportunity, corruption, violence, human rights abuses,
absence of quality public services, and declining trust in government.
We will continue building and implementing a robust monitoring,
evaluation, and learning plan designed to track progress under the
Strategy. And we will defend democracy, human rights, and civic space
throughout Central America so that citizens believe they have a voice
and a future in their countries of origin. Nicaragua is a case in
point. The Ortega regime's gravely concerning wide-scale crackdown on
civil society and rejection of democratic norms and processes in
Nicaragua has coincided with a major rise in out migration of
Nicaraguans fleeing political repression and economic stagnation under
Ortega.
responding to humanitarian crises in places like ethiopia and
afghanistan
Stopping the threat of famine and addressing atrocities in Ethiopia
is a top priority for the Biden administration and for USAID. Fighting
has left as many as 9 million people in northern Ethiopia in desperate
need of food and forced more than 2 million people to flee their homes.
Food insecurity projections from February 2022 to May 2022 show that up
to a million people will face famine-like conditions in northern
Ethiopia by June--700,000 of those in the Tigray Region. In the Tigray
Region alone, more than 90 percent of people depend on assistance.
At the same time, there have been multiple, credible reports of
gross violations of human rights related to the conflict in northern
Ethiopia. Since last appearing before this committee, I visited the Um
Rakuba refugee camp in Sudan, where I met with victims of the conflict
in Tigray and heard their heartbreaking stories of abuse and violence.
Recently, the Government of Ethiopia and Tigray regional
authorities reached a truce in their fighting--the source of so much of
this human misery. And since the truce on March 24, over 200 trucks
have arrived in Tigray in April alone, with the number of trucks slowly
increasing. But to meet the immense humanitarian needs in Tigray, more
than 500 trucks carrying tons of food and life-saving supplies need to
arrive each week. The current flow is woefully insufficient.
We will continue to push for significant, sustained, unconditional,
and unhindered delivery of much-needed aid to all those in need. We
will also continue working with interagency partners to address and
mitigate ongoing human rights violations and credible reports of
atrocities by countering hate speech and mis- and disinformation,
strengthening protection of freedom of expression and peaceful protest,
supporting independent media outlets and watchdog organizations,
strengthening local conflict mitigation, supporting the rule of law,
building an enabling environment for national dialogue, and monitoring
and documenting human rights abuses.
In Afghanistan, an estimated 22.8 million Afghans face food
insecurity following the Taliban's seized power in August 2021.
Currently, the United Nations estimates that 95 percent of the Afghan
population is in need of assistance. And to truly end the humanitarian
crisis, we must also address the roots of Afghanistan's economic and
development crises as well as advocate for the promotion of human
rights for all Afghans. On March 23, the Taliban abruptly reversed its
decision to allow girls to attend school past the sixth grade. On May
7, the Taliban imposed additional restrictions on Afghan women and
girls freedom of movement, employment, and access to society, all of
which jeopardize the human rights and agency of Afghan women The
Taliban have also threatened civil society organizations through media
crackdowns, intimidation, unjust detentions, and assaults of
journalists.
While we continue to work through diplomatic channels and
likeminded donors to press the Taliban to reverse course and allow all
girls to go to school, women to work and participate in the economy and
protect the rights of minorities and civil society; we remain committed
to supporting the people of Afghanistan. The United States has been the
single largest donor of humanitarian assistance since the fall of Kabul
in August 2021. Since then, the U.S. Government has contributed $719
million. Alongside us, the humanitarian community provided another
$1.82 billion towards the humanitarian response in 2021. And we are
working with our partners to support basic needs like health,
livelihoods, agriculture, and education.
We will continue programs to enable the direct delivery of
humanitarian assistance. Our aid helps support rural livelihoods,
improve food security and develop resistance in food systems in
Afghanistan, enable women and girls to access quality healthcare,
education, support for gender-based violence, civil society
organizations, and training and livelihood programs. And we support
journalists and media organizations, while also working to counter
human trafficking.
supporting community-led development
Across all our efforts, it is crucial that we engage more
frequently and more intensely and sustainably with a broader range of
partners. That's especially true of the community-led organizations and
companies based in the countries in which we work. When we partner with
these local NGOs and businesses, we have an opportunity to double our
impact--to not just manage a project and deliver results, but to grow
the local capacity of that business or organization so its impact will
be sustained long after its relationship with USAID ends.
Our current approach to community-led development draws upon more
than a decade of the Agency's prior experience. It aims to devolve more
power and leadership to local actors, elevate diversity and equity in
our partnerships, and address some of the systemic and operational
constraints at USAID. We have to approach localization as a shift in
not just with whom we work, but also in how we work: creating
intentional shifts in the way we design and implement our programs so
that we are putting local communities and stakeholders in the lead.
This is about deeper, more systemic change.
Our efforts to advance community-led development have been warmly
embraced by more than 1,000 local development organizations, as well as
by many of our implementing partners and some of the largest
international non-governmental organizations. Thanks to your support,
the FY 2022 appropriations bill provided an initial $100 million in the
FY 2022 appropriations bill to support our Centroamerica Local
initiative, along with the authority, flexibility, and staff resources
to prioritize working with local organizations in Honduras, Guatemala,
and El Salvador.
With more support from Congress, we can deepen this approach across
our Agency and our Missions. The FY 2023 Request includes $47.6 million
for the Centroamerica Local initiative--$40 million for direct awards
to local organizations and $7.6 million to help staff this effort.
investing in our people and building a stronger culture
Of course, none of what we set out to achieve would be possible
without USAID's dedicated team of development professionals serving our
nation throughout the world. Many of our staff are still reeling from
the COVID-19 pandemic, having lost loved ones even as they sought to
protect others in their community from the virus.
With your support, we are also increasing the size and agility of
the career workforce to better advance U.S. national security
priorities. Since last year, we have hired approximately 500 career
employees and are working to reach our target levels of 1,850 Foreign
Service and 1,600 Civil Service employees this year.
The FY 2023 Request includes $1.7 billion to continue these efforts
to invest in our people and build our institutional capacity,
increasing the number of U.S. direct-hire positions that advance our
most critical and effective foreign assistance program. This funding
covers salaries and benefits of our direct hire Foreign Service and
Civil Service workforce, overseas and Washington operations, and
central support, including human capital initiatives, security, and
information technology. The FY 2023 Request also includes resources for
the launch of the Global Development Partnership initiative, a
workforce expansion program, that will focus on democracy and anti-
corruption, global health security, national security, climate change,
operational management, and a more permanent humanitarian assistance
workforce.
But in reconstituting our workforce, we want to recruit and retain
talent differently than we have before, with an emphasis on hiring and
nurturing a workforce that truly represents America. Thanks to the
sustained leadership of our staff, we've taken several steps toward
these aims. Their work and advocacy over many years enabled one of my
first acts as Administrator, which was signing the USAID Diversity,
Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA) Strategic Plan--a framework
document to guide the Agency's efforts to integrate DEIA into every
aspect of our work.
Since signing this document, we've taken concrete steps to advance
our DEIA goals. We have conducted assessments that provided us with
data and employee experiences to help us decide how to prioritize our
efforts and resources. We onboarded five DEIA Advisors in Washington
operating units and are actively recruiting more. And we have
established the Office of the Chief DEIA Officer and welcomed our
Agency's first-ever Chief Diversity Officer. We also launched our first
recruitment conferences for students at both Historically Black
Colleges and Universities and Hispanic-Serving Institutions, with
another planned for Arab American students later this year.
Since appearing before you last year, I have had the chance to
travel to three HBCUs--Delaware State, Tuskegee University, and Alcorn
State--as well as Florida International University, the largest
Hispanic-Serving Institution in the U.S., to sign new agreements that
will help expand our recruitment and research partnerships.
Additionally, we are addressing current DEIA data gaps by making
our data collection process more inclusive. We're expanding our talent
recruitment pipelines and lowering barriers to entry for development
partnership opportunities by collaborating with minority-serving
institutions, increasing engagement and career development
opportunities for underrepresented students, and establishing hiring
goals to increase the number of employees who are persons with
disabilities.
However, it is not enough just to recruit talent, we must nurture
and develop it. We will expand access to professional development and
learning opportunities and equip our managers with the tools to lead
talented and diverse teams. We are also developing commitments to our
locally-employed colleagues to codify entitlements, benefits, and
career advancement and professional development opportunities for our
Foreign Service Nationals, who constitute 70 percent of our overseas
workforce.
conclusion
The challenges we have encountered in the past year are grave and
loom large, but I sincerely believe the opportunity before us is even
larger. By providing the resources necessary to seize this moment, the
United States can galvanize commitments from our allies and our private
sector partners, support the people of Ukraine in their moment of need
and help manage the impact the Kremlin's war is having on the world's
food supply, control the COVID-19 pandemic while laying the groundwork
to detect and prevent future pandemics, strengthening health systems,
and quickly rollout future vaccines, help countries adapt to the worst
effects of climate change while embracing new renewable technologies
and green jobs, and demonstrate to the world that democracies can
deliver in a way no autocracy can. These actions are the key to
reversing years of democratic decline and creating a more stable,
peaceful, prosperous and stable future for people at home and abroad.
With your support, USAID will move aggressively to grasp this
opportunity to build a brighter future for us all. Thank you.
The Chairman. Thank you, Madam Administrator. We will start
a series of 5-minute questioning. I will recognize myself.
Can you walk us through how this budget request, referring
both to the request before us and the supplemental, paired with
that Ukraine supplemental addresses humanitarian funding needs
to stabilize conditions in key parts of the world during this
extraordinary moment?
Ms. Power. Thank you. To make sure I follow, Mr. Chairman,
you mean the supplemental request pending before you--the
second supplemental request, yes?
The Chairman. Yes, the--well, the budget request has an
additional 4 percent increase in humanitarian funding for FY23.
Add to that the supplemental----
Ms. Power. Correct.
The Chairman. --that we just talked about, and talk to me
about how that neither meets or does not meet the challenge of
addressing humanitarian funding to stabilize conditions across
the globe.
Ms. Power. Thank you. First, let me just step back as you
did a little bit in your opening statement and discuss the
colossal needs right now, the walloping effects of the
combination of COVID intensification, of climate-related
shocks, more conflict than at any time since the end of the
Cold War, and then compounding all of that, the neutralization,
at best, of the breadbasket of the world--Ukraine.
To give a couple examples of countries in which we work, 85
percent of Egypt's grains come from Ukraine, 81 percent of
Lebanon's. Lebanon, as you know, was in no great economic shape
before Putin's invasion.
World Food Programme prices--the price of doing business,
the price of securing basic commodities and shipping them--have
gone way up, 50 percent higher just to operate than it was last
year and now, of course, a huge new displaced population inside
Ukraine plus the nearly 6 million refugees who fled outside
Ukraine.
We are seeing these cascading effects. I think what the
supplemental passed last night by the House that will be coming
to you does significantly is it gives us the ability to meet
the needs of those brave Ukrainians who have remained inside
their borders, again, everything from psychosocial, those who
have suffered sexual violence, to being able to provide
shelter.
We have all seen those large residential complexes that
have been decimated by Putin's aggression. Then, of course,
just food and cash needs. We want to get markets up and
running. We do not want nor do the Ukrainians want to be
dependent on humanitarian assistance for long.
This is an emergency phase. What is absolutely critical is
that the Ukrainians themselves be able to feed themselves,
which is what they have always been able to do.
Then when you extend, again, the ripple effects and the
cascading effects to sub-Saharan Africa where one in every two
or three pieces of bread is made with Ukrainian wheat, you can
see why, again, the requests that came up here, both in our
budget requests for 2023, but, more importantly now, this
immediate request entails such a substantial increase in
funding.
The Chairman. Yes. In light of that explanation, as you
pointed out, many countries, especially in the Middle East,
heavily depend on the grain and food commodity imports, and the
Russian invasion has threatened, as you suggested, the
breadbasket of the world.
Syria and Yemen rely significantly on food aid provided by
USAID and, of course, the challenges in Lebanon, Tunisia, and
Egypt, which can spur widespread public anger and social
unrest.
While this is a very significant request, is it fair to say
this is not going to meet the totality of the challenge before
us?
Ms. Power. There are a number of contingencies that come
into play here. I mean, we are also supplementing this surge in
humanitarian assistance with interventions by our missions in
more than 80 countries where these vulnerabilities exist,
almost by definition, developing countries to try to ensure
more precision use of fertilizer since less fertilizer is now
going to be available on the open market and the prices are
going up, using--building on Feed the Future and other
initiatives.
There is a lot that governments can do to mobilize their
populations and we are hopeful that the World Bank and IMF, the
fund--the Solidarity and Resilience Fund that they have
created--will provide access to finance for some of those
countries.
There are some contingencies there. In addition, and this
is really important and I know some members are seized with
this up here, Ukrainian farmers have been unbelievably brave.
They are out there sowing their harvest, wearing, in some
cases, flak jackets with metal detectors next to them to be
able to detect unexploded ordnances, and it is the Russian
blockade on Odessa and other southern ports that has made it
impossible for them to move their crops--their grains--from
granaries out into the open market.
Again, if we were able to find a way through rail, through
road, through potential other port access to get to the Baltic
ports or if they were able to repel Russia's horrific blockade,
which, again, is costing lives not only in Ukraine, but will
cost lives all around the world, that would be something that
could bring, again, more grains to the open market, bring the
prices down.
The Chairman. My own perception is that this will not meet
the challenge of global food insecurity, which has been
exacerbated by the war in Ukraine and the resulting
consequences of that war, and so--and then when you have food
insecurity and people are going hungry, they are then driven to
do things they might not otherwise do.
One is to move in search of food and then you have
migration. Others is to fight for food and then you have
conflict. So this is, in my mind, beyond being a good global
neighbor. It is about do we want to see more migration, do we
want to see more conflict, where, ultimately, U.S. national
interests and securities are affected? I would say no.
So I hope we will get ready for what will be a bigger
challenge than what you have here before your budget or what
the supplemental provides, which is very Ukraine focused and
with its neighboring countries, which I applaud, but this is
not going to meet the challenge that we have. I have other
questions about labor and diversity and other things that are
not related to food insecurity or Ukraine. For now, I will
yield and turn to the ranking member for his questions.
Senator Risch. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Picking up where the chairman left off, I think his
assessment is absolutely right and that is that there is real
doubt whether or not the world's food supply is going to be
enough for the world's population, and the outline of the
consequences of that that the chairman just iterated, I think,
are very real.
Obviously, you cannot--as USAID, you do not put your arms
around all of that stuff, but your job is to get as much food
out there as you possibly can.
What is our assessment--dire assessment--of the coming
situation? Is that what you are hearing also from the people
you deal with worldwide?
Ms. Power. First, if I may just go meta on the exchange
that you have had. I mean, this is exactly the bipartisanship
that has been reflected in your collective efforts to bring
more food online and to give us the resources we need to meet
humanitarian needs. Let me just, first, say thank you for the
spirit of the--of both sets of comments.
Yes, Senator, this is what we are hearing. I met with the
Ethiopian Minister of Finance now going on 2 and a half weeks
ago, 3 weeks ago, and he described already the riots and the
protests that were occurring in Ethiopia well and apart from
Tigray and the crisis that we know already exists there in Afar
and Amhara because of the increase in the price of fertilizer
and farmers just saying, we cannot afford this--where are the
subsidies--and then the Ethiopian Government saying, we do not
have the fiscal space here to provide those subsidies--what are
we going to do.
So that is just, again, those kinds of protests. I think we
see it in the data. Even up to this point on COVID-related food
insecurity over the last 2 and a half years, if you look at
some of the intention to migrate surveys of people who are
crossing borders and--or who are attempting to cross even into
the United States, you can see a major spike in food insecurity
as grounds for migration.
I think an already unstable world that is already
experiencing more conflict, more political protests in the last
several years than there have been in any comparable 3-year
period in the last hundred years, you are going to see those
effects, those destabilizing effects, getting massively
exacerbated by what is happening right now.
Remember, we were in a food crisis before one man decided
to try to lop off part of another country. We were in was the
most severe food crisis that any of us had seen and now that is
being compounded by this horrific aggression.
Senator Risch. I appreciate that, and I think all of this
is frightening, to say the least. It is coming and I guess we
all need to think about it and how we are going to get through
this.
Your reference to the Horn--every day I am constantly
frustrated by what is happening there and the lack of a
solution or the apparent solution. What is your view there?
Are we going to just continue to prop up what is going on
there with food to keep people from starving and it just goes
on? What is your view of what happens there? What is the end
game here, if any?
Ms. Power. Of course, we want to meet the needs, as always,
of people facing desperate food insecurity. As you noted, with
food shortages around the world or access to food so limited,
prices going up, there is going to be evermore demands, as we
have been discussing, on, for example, USAID's humanitarian aid
budget.
The fact that in Ethiopia there are warehouses upon
warehouses filled with food where the only thing standing in
the way of feeding starving people and malnourished children is
a denial of access by government forces. That cannot stand. It
could not stand before and it cannot stand now.
I do not think we are propping up. I think we are pressing
the government. There has been the most modest of progress with
200 trucks getting in, as you probably know since you have been
tracking it so closely, since the humanitarian truce was
declared.
We need 500 trucks a week to get into Tigray and Amhara and
Afar, and we are looking at, potentially, a million people
facing famine conditions by next month if that flow does not
start to move.
I do think the Ethiopian authorities are feeling the
pressure. There is a truce. There is a different kind of vibe,
for lack of a better word, in our engagements. Again, more is
getting through, but it is a trickle and it has to be a flood
to make up for lost time.
Senator Risch. I appreciate your views on that. My time is
up. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
The Chairman. Senator Cardin.
Senator Cardin. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman.
Madam Ambassador, thank you very much for your
extraordinary service to our country for over so many years.
The challenges today are extreme. You have already pointed
out some, but what I find the most alarming is the trend of
decline of democratic states, as you pointed out during your
testimony.
We see every time there is a survey done, more countries
are less free. We need in our foreign assistance to balance the
needs that are out there. We have to be engaged in regards to
health issues, nutrition issues, education issues, gender
issues, housing issues, economic opportunity. All those are
critically important and all could use more funding.
There is a fundamental need to support democratic
institutions, and the amount of resources that we allocate for
support of democratic institutions is very limited and the
needs are very great.
I am going to just give you one suggestion of where some
funds could be diverted. As I understand it, the funds that was
set up after the fall of the Soviet Union for supporting
democratic institutions and market economies, they are set up
in the individual countries.
One was set up in Russia and, obviously, it is my
understanding it is about $153 million in that account that has
been frozen because there is no opportunity right now to use
those funds for that purpose.
It seems to me those funds could be diverted, and as I was
questioning the other day the nominee to be Ambassador to
Ukraine, yes, we have a lot of work to do in Ukraine, but one
of the issues we have to do is work on strengthening their
democratic institutions.
We know before Russia's incursions there was challenges in
Ukraine. I guess my question to you, would that be a creative
use to transfer those funds for Ukraine or to use them,
considering the limited amount of funds you have, in regards to
democracy being frozen in a country where we cannot use it?
Ms. Power. Thank you, Senator.
Let me first just say since I am up here, to talk at least
in part about the FY 2023 request, that we really have
attempted to do a soup to nuts review of our democracy and
anti-corruption programming in order to try to right-size it
for this moment in history, rather than, I think, what you had
seen as the kind of relative global complacency that had come
to pass, certainly, after the fall of the wall and the talk of
the end of history and all the rest.
You saw, as you know, over time democracy funding just
going down, down, down, down, and not being compensated for,
for example, with additional resources in the anti-corruption
space and we are trying to remedy that in the 2023 request,
really, to try to scale the support that we give frontline
human rights defenders, independent journalists, social
movements, whether that is labor movements or workers or
students or young people of the kind who helped bring down the
Bashir regime in Sudan before that progress was offset over the
course of the last 6 months.
I want you to know that when you look at the numbers, you
will see us really actually trying to resource something we all
claim we care about, but have not resourced commensurate with
our national interest in funding democratic institutions and
those who will bravely stand up for democratic principles
around the world.
With regard to the Enterprise Fund, all I can say here, I
think, is just to assure you that no stone would go unturned if
there are resources available to be funding anti-corruption and
democracy work.
I think there is a range of views that we are trying to
sort through on whether those resources are accessible. Happy
to talk to you or have our team talk to your staff about what
might be available.
Senator Cardin. I appreciate that. I just think the optics
of taking money from Russia's account, which is not going to be
used, and using it for Ukraine is the right optics these days
as well. I would just point that out to you.
Let me ask one additional question, if I might. The
Administration is requesting $400 million for countering
People's Republic of China--PRC's--Malign Influence Fund.
Sounds great to me, but explain to me what is that--how are you
going to use that $400 million?
Ms. Power. Thank you. What we could do is get you a mapping
of what we have done with those resources up to this point.
Suffice it to say that it is one of the loan--maybe loan is too
strong, but one of the rare funds at USAID that comes
unearmarked and actually gives us the ability to react quickly
to a moment of opportunity.
Whether that is, for example, a group of civil society
actors who might be exposing some kind of corruption associated
with some kind of large infrastructure project or whether that
might be an investment in an alternative source of energy, it
has, basically, been used to give us flexible funding to try to
draw on USAID's comparative advantages over the Chinese
investment that we know is blanketing not only the world, but
the hemisphere.
Again, this is only a modest plus-up from a fund that was
created before my time as administrator. I can tell you it is--
when there is a democratic opening and it is in a place where
China has sought to swoop in--and, again, there is virtually no
place now where that is not the case--this ability to fund
democratic actors on the ground or to fund an economic growth
program that will draw people towards a free market approach to
fund an open and inclusive--support for an open and inclusive
digital ecosystem as distinct from heavy-handed surveillance
internet infrastructure.
Those are the kinds of projects and, again, we can give you
a rundown on how that--those resources have been spent.
Senator Cardin, I do not want to eat up your time, but I
have to just say one thing.
Senator Cardin. My time is----
Ms. Power. Is your time up?
The Chairman. You have accomplished that already.
Ms. Power. Then I am eating someone else's time. I am
sorry.
Senator Risch made a point about questions for the record
because here I am promising these things, and he made a point
earlier that we had been very slow and I just want to say I
am--I take personal responsibility for that and whatever the
process dysfunction that caused such a long lag between you all
posing questions of this nature and us getting back to you, I
apologize for that.
We are fixing the process and that will not happen again.
So I just did not want to leave that unaddressed as I make more
promises.
Senator Cardin. I will look forward to following up on
those points that you did. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Ms. Power. Okay. Thank you.
The Chairman. Senator Hagerty.
Senator Hagerty. Thank you, Chairman Menendez. Ambassador
Power, good to see you here.
Chairman Menendez, I would like to start out by submitting
for the record a letter that I sent to President Biden in March
of this year raising my concern about high fertilizer prices
and potential shortages there, if I might. Thank you.
The Chairman. Without objection.
[Editor's note.--The information referred to above can be found
in the ``Additional Material Submitted for the Record'' section
at the end of this hearing.]
Senator Hagerty. Administrator Power, I would like to turn
to you. I grew up in a rural area. I was president of my high
school Future Farmers of America organization. I remember
studying then the theory of Dr. Thomas Malthus, who predicted
that the world was going to run out of food if the population
continued to grow.
Well, Dr. Malthus was wrong. He is one of the original
doomsday prognosticators and he turned out to be wrong because
he forgot about something very important. That is American
ingenuity, particularly, when it comes to the agribusiness
arena.
Thanks to innovation in agribusiness, America has been able
to dramatically increase yields. We have been able to feed the
world and that is because modern farming techniques have been
at the forefront. There are many countries that would like to
take our modern farming techniques, that would like to take
that intellectual property.
Our agricultural innovation, particularly, in nitrogen
fertilizer, has made a huge difference in terms of our nation's
ability to support feeding the world's population.
I would like to turn to some comments you made on ABC News
recently, and I am just going to read what I understand that
was said. Talking about fertilizer shortages causing the loss
of production--caused by the loss of production in Russia and
Ukraine--did you say that it would hasten the transition to
natural solutions like manure and compost that ``would have
been in the interest of farmers to have made eventually
anyway''?
Ms. Power. Those comments are accurate. Can I offer some
clarification?
Senator Hagerty. I would like to just also ask you this.
Did you also say in that same interview that you should never
let a crisis go to waste?
Ms. Power. So in the interview--and I would definitely
rephrase my response to the question that was posed if I could
do it again--but rest assured that chemical fertilizer has been
a critical part of the agriculture gains that our partners have
made globally, and there is just no question whether through
Feed the Future, we have talked previously, I think, in this
setting about farmer initiatives and the insight and innovation
the farmers here bring.
All I was meaning to say--and it was coming out of the
meeting that I referenced earlier with the Ethiopian Minister
of Finance, who was saying in this moment of desperation where
Ethiopian farmers, for example, have been unable to secure
fertilizer on the open market because the prices have gone up
so much with Russia's invasion, given that Russia is such a
large exporter of fertilizer, that they are now scrambling and
finding these alternative means of trying to fertilize, and--
but in no way did I mean to suggest that there is--that we are
en route to moving away from programming with our partners
using fertilizer that has been so effective in increasing
gains.
Senator Hagerty. You serve in a very critical leadership
role, Ambassador. I appreciate that role and the world
appreciates the role that you serve and you need to be, I
think, very cognizant of our strengths and, I think, be very
careful about what is being said.
I have heard members of this Administration talk about high
gas prices being good because it forces a transition to
alternative fuel vehicles, saying that high prices in
fertilizer are good to force a transition that should happen
anyway.
When you are forcing us back into manure or compost and
that type of thing that is going to precipitate a catastrophe.
That will precipitate disasters that will be felt on a global--
--
Ms. Power. That was not the intention, sir. It really is
this emergency phase. It is not a question of, for many of
these farmers, synthetic fertilizer, yes or no, or chemical
fertilizer, yes or no.
They are just not able to access it now because the price
is out of reach. So the combination of the humanitarian
assistance, the additional funding that we are able to do
through our agricultural programs, that we want to be in a
position where they are able to access fertilizer in the way
that they have been able to do in the past.
Senator Hagerty. I, certainly, want us to be in a position
to support--with American innovation and innovations like
modern agriculture to support continuing the increase in yields
that we have seen and we will need to see.
I am very concerned that we are going to see food shortages
come up here on a global basis and I think we need to be very
careful, A, as we speak about this, and then, B, what we decide
to do to support it and move it in the proper direction, and
moving back in time and moving back in history is not the right
direction.
I would also like, Mr. Chairman, to submit for the record
an article here from--an article here from Foreign Affairs
magazine. It is about what happened in Sri Lanka when they
mandated going to organic farming and away from modern farming.
Madam Ambassador, if you have not read this, I would
commend you read it, but I think it tells a very dire tale of
what can happen when a move like what was described on ABC News
is actually taken seriously and delivered a disaster in Sri
Lanka.
So thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. Thank you, Madam
Ambassador.
Ms. Power. Thank you, sir.
The Chairman. Without objection, the article will be
included.
[Editor's note.--The information referred to above can be found
in the ``Additional Material Submitted for the Record'' section
at the end of this hearing.]
The Chairman. Senator Barrasso.
Senator Barrasso. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman.
Madam Ambassador, nice to see you again. I had a couple of
questions.
We met with the Ukrainian ambassador to the United States
yesterday--a number of senators did--with regard to
humanitarian assistance. In terms of the humanitarian crisis
created by Russia, Congress understands the importance of
taking immediate action to quickly get food to those who
desperately need it.
In March of 2022, Congress provided about $100 million for
the Title 2 Food for Peace program for Ukraine. It has been 2
months. The food aid has still not been delivered to Ukraine.
In fact, none of the money has even been spent, and since
we have already committed to this 2 months ago, why has not the
USAID been able to get the food assistance to the people of
Ukraine?
Ms. Power. Senator, I am not sure if that was the
ambassador's characterization, generally, of food assistance.
That would surprise me. I can run you through the food
assistance that had----
Senator Barrasso. I will clarify. We met with the
ambassador and a number of senators have raised this issue.
This was not the ambassador's position.
Ms. Power. Okay.
Senator Barrasso. We are asking a number of questions: are
you getting everything, has it gotten there, where are we now.
Ms. Power. Got it. Okay. We are, as you know, the largest
funder, and I want to distinguish international organizations
from our Ukrainian partners. So maybe if you just give me a
second to come back to that.
We are the largest funder of WFP, which, it is true, did
take some time to establish their warehouses and to scale up.
They were not present in Ukraine anymore when the war broke
out, despite our warnings ahead of time that this war was
coming or this invasion was coming.
They are now reaching 7 million people inside Ukraine. It
is not enough. They would be the first to--excuse me, they are
reaching 3.5 million people in Ukraine with a goal of getting
to 7 million by the end of June.
We have provided--we, USAID, have provided, thanks to you,
$205 million in emergency food assistance. We are also
providing something that is less visible, Senator, and that is
cash assistance--more than $109 million of cash assistance,
again, through partners like World Food Programme and others,
and that is to try to get markets up and running because,
again, we want to move away from food assistance as soon as
possible, given that Ukraine is fully capable of feeding
itself.
There is an issue, I think, with our sort of--or not an
issue so much as a question about whether we have the right
balance between support for international organizations and
support for Ukrainian partners.
I think one of the really important dimensions of the
recent--of the supp that passed the House last night is that it
promises, potentially, if it passes the Senate $7.5 billion in
direct budget support for the Ukrainian Government.
They have a social service ministry--I talked to the social
service minister yesterday--that itself provides cash
assistance to internally-displaced people, to elderly people,
provides pensions, provides other forms of resources. If that
can be scaled up, you could imagine a world in which
international organizations would just be procuring things that
Ukrainian actors on the ground would themselves not be able to
procure.
With regard to actual food commodities from the United
States itself, I think that is something that usually does cost
more and take a longer period of time. I will have to get back
to you on where those commodities are and, to the degree that
your understanding is accurate, why it would be that those
would not yet have landed in Ukraine.
Senator Barrasso. Those are the sort of questions I
specifically have. I know in March we passed the Ukraine
supplemental, $2.65 billion for international disaster
assistance. Again, that funding is just sitting idle is my
understanding on that. USAID has only donated $50 million to
the World Food Programme.
Ms. Power. No. That is not accurate, sir.
Senator Barrasso. Oh, good.
Ms. Power. Yes.
Senator Barrasso. All right. Another issue facing this
quick delivery of critical food to those in need is shipping.
U.S. law requires at least half of the vessels carrying
government authorized food aid on U.S. vessels. There are, I
understand, only four U.S. flag ships the U.S. Government can
use to ship the food aid. Not one of the four ships is
available right now.
It has been estimated it could take an entire year to get
the food to the people of Ukraine. In the case of an emergency
like this, I know the President may waive that requirement.
Since the Food for Peace program is run by USAID, have you
requested a presidential waiver in order to address this issue?
Ms. Power. On this score--on this--if you are asking
specifically a waiver to get food into Ukraine, the answer is
no because the food that we provide to Ukraine is provided in a
different manner. Again, it is not food commodities from here,
just for reasons of cost and efficiency.
We have used that waiver, for example, to get food into
Yemen where U.S. carriers will not travel, and we are grateful
for some of the initiatives that are occurring up here, as I
understand it, in a bipartisan way to try to show congressional
support for greater flexibility, given the urgent needs of the
moment.
Senator Barrasso. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Senator Shaheen.
Senator Shaheen [presiding]. Thank you. Senator Menendez
has passed the gavel to me and I get to ask a question.
Welcome, Administrator Power. We are delighted to have you
here and really appreciate the effort that you and everyone at
USAID is making on a daily basis to try and improve the lives
of people around the world.
I would like to begin with the global gag rule and the
impact that that has had over the years, also known as the
Mexico City Policy, which has prohibited foreign nongovernment
organizations from receiving U.S. global health assistance if
they provide legal abortion services or advocacy for abortion
law reform, even though that is done with their own funds.
I am particularly concerned about this because what we know
is that this policy has resulted in an increase, not a
decrease, in the number of unsafe abortions. The policy causes
more unintended pregnancies, higher rates of maternal
mortality, and it leaves countless women at risk.
Can you speak to the ramifications for USAID and our global
health policies when that global gag rule is in effect, and
what we are doing now to help rebuild those partnerships with
the organizations that are so critical to providing support for
women and families around the world?
Ms. Power. Thank you, Senator.
I think that while there are, of course, divisive issues as
it relates to reproductive health or as it relates to family
planning, I think we have endeavored over the life of this
Administration to restart programs that were suspended, given
the prior Administration's policy.
I think we do still hear reports of very conservative
application of this Administration's policy as sort of a
hangover from the prior Administration. I think it is extremely
important.
You will see in the 2023 budget request a request for a
historic $2.6 billion for women's and gender empowerment and
rights, broadly defined. I think that will have ramifications,
we hope, in this area of programming.
It is just extremely important that women's rights are
protected and that women get to enjoy the right to voluntary
family planning, which has not always been the case, as you
note.
Senator Shaheen. Thank you very much for that. Another area
that is really important as we think about how do we empower
women around the world is promoting the ability of girls to
stay in school, particularly secondary school where there is
persistent gender disparity and, again, how can USAID better
provide holistic support to ensure that adolescent girls can
stay enrolled and complete secondary school?
Ms. Power. I think it is--and, again, I just mentioned the
gender funding--gender-related funding that is requested here
in the 2023 request.
Part of what is key is that all our areas of programming
filter the programming through the recognition of the unlocking
potential that the education of women and girls, the rights of
women and girls, have for the rest of society.
Our budget request, for example, requests $693 million in
basic education, $238 million in higher education. There is a
real emphasis in that programming on the education of girls,
specifically.
Of the million people, for example, reached with vocational
training, half are girls and women. We, again, emphasize that
this should be the filter through which our programming in a
whole range of areas, whether it is microfinance in the
agricultural space or education through which we filter our
programming.
I do not know that I can say that that has happened yet,
but we are having now a gender advisory in every USAID mission
around the world, so I am hopeful that will accelerate that
process.
Senator Shaheen. Can you, again, speak to why that is so
important? Because I think people looking at it without having
an understanding of what a difference it makes when girls and
women are educated to not just their families, their
communities, but their countries, do not appreciate why this is
so important in our foreign policy.
Ms. Power. We have spent a lot of time talking about grave
humanitarian crises--the grave humanitarian crisis that is
underway right now.
What you see is when girls--for every additional year of
education that girls have that affects their family planning
choices, that affects the number of mouths that their families
will be feeding, that affects GDP. You see an incremental
increase in a country's GDP for every extra year, on average,
that girls are able to obtain in education.
I mean, it is just as simple as do you want to unlock your
country's full potential or do you want to leave half of its
potential off the field?
One thing I would draw your attention to, Senator, you are
probably already tracking, but I find it really quite thrilling
that President Biden's new infrastructure initiative, sort of
the--which the Build Back Better World initiative as it was
launched at the G-7 includes in it a pillar on gender as
conceived of as infrastructure and the piece of it that is so
important, I think, is investments in the care economy.
So we are looking at USAID and across our government about
what we can do to catalyze investments there and that has not
been a significant area of focus in the policy space, the
regulatory space, or the funding space, the program space.
So it is very exciting to imagine what it would mean also
for women well and apart--even once they have obtained their
education, once they begin having children, they feel the need
to drop out of the workforce in order to raise those children
in part because they do not have care possibilities that they
can draw upon.
We have seen it in our country. You can imagine how much
more severe the effects are even in developing countries. That
is something that is a really ambitious new initiative. The
Gates Foundation and others are squarely behind it and I think
we could bring a lot of resources to this agenda, which would
have additional catalytic effects.
Senator Shaheen. Thank you. It is very exciting.
I am out of time, but I cannot finish my questioning
without pointing out how really horrified I have been--and I
know that this is shared by the women in the Senate as well as
all of our male colleagues--with the Taliban's reversal of
their commitment to allow girls into school in Afghanistan.
I would just urge that we are looking at doing anything
possible to try and support women and girls in Afghanistan, and
I know you share that commitment.
Thank you. Senator Risch, Senator Menendez gave me the
gavel, but I assume you have already--okay.
Senator Booker. I appreciate the battlefield promotion,
sir. I will try not to abuse my power.
Senator Shaheen. Senator Booker.
Senator Booker. Thank you very much. Chairman Booker,
excuse me.
[Laughter.]
Senator Risch. Chairman Booker.
[Laughter.]
Senator Booker. Acting Chairman Booker.
Senator Risch. This is not going to go well.
[Laughter.]
Senator Booker. Ambassador Power, it is good to see you.
Ms. Power. Good to see you.
Senator Booker. Thank you so much. I want to jump right in
and then get to my colleagues.
I know that food insecurity has already been talked about
and I am happy to see Congress moving to include over $4
billion of emergency funding into the international disaster
assistance program.
A report just came out, though, that in Afghanistan about
10 million children right now--it is a staggering number--that
they are alone. They are unable to meet their daily food needs,
which is really incredible, and then you add into that the
crises in Ethiopia, Yemen, South Sudan.
I guess if we are able to get this funding approved, which
I hope we do, as soon as next week, will USAID be able to do
everything really possible to quickly move this life-funding
assistance--life-saving assistance out the door to programs
like the World Food Programme and others? If you can give me
a--kind of a sign of hope.
Ms. Power. First, thanks for the question. I mean, again,
it is important to bear in mind what we talked about a little
bit earlier, but just as the--we were facing an unprecedented
food crisis before Putin went and did this, and it just adds a
whole new layer of recklessness and callousness to what we know
is already horrific in Afghanistan.
The appeal that was issued for Afghanistan--now it feels
like a year ago, but it was probably only 4 or 5 months ago--
was the largest ever humanitarian appeal for any country in the
U.N.'s history, right, and that is a long--a relatively long
history at this point.
I think the infrastructure is in place, Senator. The fall
of Afghanistan has been devastating to women's rights, girls'
rights, the economy, the humanitarian welfare of the citizens
of the country.
There is more access. The only thing positive one can say
is there--the aid organizations are able to move around more
easily because the front lines are not there that had been
there before. Yes, we will be able to move money to
Afghanistan.
We are the largest donor. We have provided very, very
substantial--I think, half a billion dollars worth of
humanitarian assistance just since the fall of Kabul at the end
of August. We need other donors to do more. We need Gulf donors
and others who have not yet really been enlisted in this cause
to step up.
Above all, we need to see a functional Afghan economy.
Senator Risch raised this indirectly, I think, in his opening
statement. We can continue to sort of put fingers in the dike
here, but the real problem is gross mismanagement of the Afghan
economy, and so there needs to be an independent solvent
central bank in Afghanistan. Right now, the Taliban is not
cooperating with the U.N. initiative to create a kind of
financial humanitarian exchange facility----
Senator Booker. Ambassador, I know those dynamics.
Ms. Power. Yes.
Senator Booker. I really appreciate the thoroughness of
your answer.
Ms. Power. Sorry.
Senator Booker. I am going to try to use my----
Ms. Power. Please.
Senator Booker. --remaining time as judiciously as
possible. To the extent that any of us, because we, obviously,
talk to a lot of our peers and nations--our partner nations--if
there are specific folks that are not stepping up or could be
stepping up----
Ms. Power. Right. I will follow up. Absolutely. Thank you.
Senator Booker. Yes, I really would appreciate that. I am
sort of asking this in terms of a question, but I know that the
Global Food Security Act is going to be reauthorized next year
and I guess I just would like to make sure--and I know this is
a focus of yours so I really do not have too much encouraging
to do--but that we see some language in there that really adds
support for women, smallholder farmers, focusing--programs
focusing on women and girls when it comes to that program. I
would love to be able to work with you on trying to make sure
that the language reflects some of those priorities.
I want to just jump in and give you a chance to help--talk
about some of the good work that you all are doing in terms of
modernizing the work you are doing, and I just know we need to
make sure that money is getting out the door to organizations
that are best positioned to do the work and I know--I think
Devex is the name of the group--reported on Monday that USAID
funding to low and middle income-based organizations actually
decreased last year and overly complex contracting is a barrier
that is often cited that really keeps local innovative
organizations from working with USAID.
Last year, USAID structured just 1.3 percent of its grants
as straightforward fixed amount awards, which are even--which
are easier for smaller, local, and more innovative
organizations to apply for and manage, and they are among the
best ways, I think, to incentivize real results and have a
higher level of accountability.
I know this is a focus of yours. I just hope that there is
a plan to increase resources being distributed in that way.
Ms. Power. It is, and there is a lag between when a new
administrator comes in and launches a big agenda as we have on
localization. The goal, Senator, is 25 percent of foreign
assistance going to local organizations and 50 percent being
co-designed, co-evaluated, with local organizations.
We are going to have to find a way to get there. There is a
disparate impact of the complexity of USAID rules and
regulations on local organizations, whether it is linguistic
challenges or just the fact you do not have a world-class
accounting firm or general counsel in-house.
So one of the reasons we are grateful for the plus-up in
operating expenses is so that we have the staff that we need to
sit down with local organizations to help them jump through
those hoops.
We also need to simplify and actually reduce the
administrative and other reporting burdens while doing so in a
manner, of course, that is sensitive to the imperative of
avoiding fraud, waste, and abuse.
This is the needle we are seeking to thread. I think the
new partners initiative that--and local works initiative that
were written into law up here have been helpful, and I have
launched a $300 million initiative called Central American
Local, which is a dedicated pool that would only go to local
organizations. I think we are getting there, but it is going to
be time, unfortunately, before you start to see the return on
this agency's commitment in this regard.
Senator Booker. Great. I will just bookmark this, not as a
question, just in my closing to say I really hope to talk to
you a little bit more about that, but also examine how we can
get double bottom lines for a lot of our investments with a lot
of sort of innovative strategies, say, for example of climate
change, more investments in scaling climate-resistant crop
varieties in places like India. These could help us with
climate change as well as dealing with a bit of their food
crisis.
Senator Menendez has returned. I have lost my very brief
moment as acting chairman. I felt the power drain away. I am
going to yield to him. I know Senator Van Hollen is here to go
up next.
The Chairman [presiding]. Thank you, Chairman Booker.
Senator Booker. Thank you very much.
The Chairman. Senator Van Hollen.
Senator Van Hollen. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Chairman and
Deputy Chairman Booker.
Administrator, it is great to see you. Just on Afghanistan,
as you know what desperate situation that is, I appreciate the
support AID is providing through nongovernment organizations
and making sure we do not do anything to support the Taliban. I
agree with what Senator Shaheen said.
I would say, at the same time, that the Afghan
reconstruction fund under the supervision of the World Bank, it
seems to me, has developed mechanisms to deliver additional
funding to help hungry people without helping the Taliban, and
I just urge you to continue to support that effort.
I am sure that you have all talked about the good news of
the $40 billion emergency supplemental that passed the House,
which, importantly, does include $5 billion for food assistance
and dealing with food insecurity.
I think we all recognize that, given the needs, it is still
not enough, but it is a lot better than where we were just a
short time ago. In terms of the scope of the problem and the
different causes, we know there are many. We know it ranges
from COVID supply chain issues to climate change impact on
agriculture, especially in places like the Horn of Africa.
The dominant one right now is Putin's war against Ukraine,
and I just came from a hearing in the SFOPS Appropriations
Subcommittee with David Beasley of the World Food Programme and
I asked him about this, and it was pretty clear that the 25
million tons of grains that are stuck in Ukraine are having a
direct impact on food insecurity, rising hunger around the
world, both in terms of supply and increased prices. So that
while Putin is killing innocent people in Ukraine he is also
making people around the world go more hungry and leading them
to the verge of starvation.
Can you quantify this problem? Because if we do not get
this grain out of the port of Odessa, millions of people are
going to go hungry because of what Putin is doing, and I will
just close this part of the question by saying that people have
talked about getting the grain out through land routes.
Everybody I have talked to says that there is no way to get
a significant amount of grain out as quickly as we need to
through land routes, that the port--opening the ports is the
key. Could you elaborate on the impact around the world of what
is happening there?
Ms. Power. I can. I mean, let me just say that the
Ukrainian outflow of grain in steady state pre-invasion was 5
million tons of grain a month. So that is what we are talking
about losing--and David Beasley will be more expert on this
than I--but just taking that off the field globally we are
seeing it in food shortages, but we are also seeing it in
skyrocketing food prices.
So I think you were not there yet, Senator, when I shared,
I think, an anecdote that really brought this home for me or a
fact that brings this home for me, which is that one out of
every two or three pieces of bread in sub-Saharan Africa is
made with Ukrainian wheat and we have all seen the numbers of
85 percent of Egyptian grains come from Ukraine, et cetera.
You asked specifically about the range of solutions, and I
think the European Union, actually, just before I came here
today just put out a plan--the European Commission, I should
say--but it leaves open a lot of the same questions because we
are all grappling with how much throughput could you get
through using traditional train routes, through using roads to
get to other ports within Europe--is there a way to get up to
the Baltic ports, which seemed like the closest, other ports
that could take supplies at scale.
Right now, the biggest challenge and can this--we are
working with our Ukrainian farmer partners because we have
big--USAID has big agricultural programs--has long had big
agriculture programs in Ukraine--what they are grappling with
is how do you incentivize farmers to plant now or soon, because
it is not quite that time, if they are not seeing a return on
what they have harvested, if that is just sort of----
Senator Van Hollen. Thank you. Madam Administrator, I just
have a few seconds----
Ms. Power. Yes.
Senator Van Hollen. --but I appreciate your emphasizing
that point. I think the Ukrainian farmers want to plant. They
do have control of the country and--but they got to be able to
get it out.
I just want to thank you for--and the Administration for
your requests for both UNRWA as well as the support--ESS
support in the West Bank and Gaza, and I will follow up with
you on the AID Prosper Africa.
I want to thank your team for briefing the Africa
Subcommittee staff recently, and it sounds like we are making
good progress on Prosper Africa.
Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
The Chairman. Thank you.
Senator Murphy.
Senator Murphy. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. Good to
see you even from a distance, administrator.
I want to talk to you about the topic of energy
independence and the way in which this Administration thinks
about the utility of using grant dollars or financing to help
countries break their dependency on neighbors and, of course, I
am thinking, first and foremost, about Russia's periphery.
This has always seemed to me to be a bit of a blind spot
for the U.S. Government. We provide a lot of technical
assistance on how countries can connect to other energy
systems, but we have always been, I think, far too reluctant to
put hard dollars on the table in Russia's neighborhood.
We leave a lot of that to the Europeans, but the
bureaucracy in Brussels is sometimes just absolutely
unovercomeable for many countries that are seeking relatively
low-cost projects to break away from Russia.
Right now, there is a crisis in Bulgaria. As you know,
Russia has cut off energy supplies. There is a whole host of
ideas on the table to find other avenues for energy import,
including U.S. LNG, but there is not a lot of creativity in the
U.S. system beyond advice as to how to help these countries
find their next energy source.
So just love a minute or two from you on whether there is
more to be done at USAID, whether you need additional
authorizations in order to better use and leverage dollars for
these kind of projects.
Ms. Power. Thank you, Senator. I am back not that long ago
from Moldova, which is probably the country that most
personifies the challenge, I mean, with the amount of energy
blackmail going on across Europe.
There is nothing like visiting a country that is partially
occupied by Russian forces and vulnerable in the natural gas,
fuel, and electricity domains to that blackmail to, I think,
underscore the importance of securing that independence.
I guess what I would say is it really depends. I would love
to just have a more detailed discussion, perhaps, with our
energy envoy, Amos Hochstein, maybe at the table as well to
hear more about what you have in mind.
I mean, we were absolutely instrumental--we, USAID, our
energy team--as part of our USAID mission in Ukraine, for
example, in Ukraine's decision to and capacity to free itself
to do the tests that you saw in the electricity sphere to
connect itself to Europe, which happened just in the early--it
was either several days before the war or just as the war
started, and that was years in the making and lots of
programming.
It is not hard to infrastructure in the way that you are
describing and I think where my mind goes is to an entity that
I have been spending an awful lot of time working with and
through and that is the Development Finance Corporation,
because that--and they are looking, for example, in Moldova to
see what kinds of investments they can make.
It is not a place they have done large things in the past.
I mean, it had to transition from OPEC to being a Development
Finance Corporation. Again, the energy sector, actually, I
think, is a place that you have made an exception for them to
work. I think there are real opportunities throughout Eastern
Europe, in particular.
The devil is in the details of what you have specifically
in mind. I would want to make sure that USAID is the best
bricks and mortar agent for those kinds of investments. Right
now, what we do is we embed technical advisors and contract out
those energy independence experts who help guide a country
toward building the organic capacity.
Senator Murphy. Right. Let me--and I appreciate that. To
me, this is--the greatest need that exists to stabilize
economies right now in Eastern Europe is assistance on the
future of energy and, thus far, the United States has decided
to provide that advice and expertise, but not hard dollars.
I mean, the sort of food distribution economy is a mix of
private sector and public sector participation. We have made
the decision in energy to, essentially, leave it all in the
hands of the private sector and to use the public sector as a
means of providing advice.
I just think that is a mistake. I think it is time for the
United States to put some hard dollars on the table. I think
that would be a wise expenditure of our dollars, given how much
we are spending on other projects to secure Europe.
I look forward to that conversation with you and others in
the Administration. I appreciate the time, Mr. Chairman.
The Chairman. Senator Schatz.
Senator Schatz. Thank you, Chairman.
Administrator, thank you for being here. I want to cover
three topics.
First, internet freedom. Freedom House reports that
internet freedom has declined for the 11th year in a row. State
Department ought to be taking the lead here, but USAID and the
U.S. Agency for Global Media play critical roles. I know USAID
just put out a new digital strategy, which makes some reference
to internet freedom.
I am wondering if you can talk about what you are doing in
this space and how it fits into the other agencies that have
some responsibility.
Ms. Power. Thank you. I think that you see out of the
President's Democracy Summit more attention, of course, to this
ever so critical issue.
Our dedicated programmatic money in this space is quite
modest, as you will see reflected in the President's budget
request, far more modest than the importance of the tool of an
open and inclusive digital ecosystem.
I think our slice of it against the interagency backdrop
that you described is very much on the regulatory side, again,
sort of similar to my exchange with Senator Murphy, having
advisors embedded to make sure that the inner--and working with
the State Department to apply diplomatic pressure to ensure
that governments are not going the way of the Chinese approach
even as they are drawing increasingly on Huawei or other tools
in developing countries. The diplomacy to reverse that or to
change that for those countries that have not yet made those
decisions is underway as well.
Senator Schatz. Just two final things for follow-up later.
I would like to get some additional fidelity on how the
interagency works, and if it has not been fully fleshed out
that is understandable, but I would like to get some clarity
there. Then, secondly, what would a more robustly funded
personnel model look like for this.
I want to move on to deforestation. Last fall, I introduced
the FOREST Act, which creates a framework for the Federal
Government to stop commodity-driven deforestation around the
planet, which is the main cause of deforestation.
In Glasgow at the COP, President Biden committed to the
Declaration on Forest and Land Use that sets the goal of no
global deforestation by 2030. The Lacey Act is a great tool,
but, as you know, it deals with forest products, not commodity-
driven deforestation.
Can you tell me how Biden's commitment is changing and
shaping USAID's work on the ground to reduce deforestation?
Specifically, I am interested in commodity-driven
deforestation.
Ms. Power. Again, not--continually encouraging follow up
with our experts on this, but I do think given the energy we
are now--no pun intended--putting into the deforestation or the
reduction of deforestation effort it would be worth someone on
your staff touching base with our climate coordinator.
Our request in the budget that has gone up recently
includes $335 million in sustainable landscapes funding, and
that is a 135 percent increase over the 2021 enacted levels. I
think that you did see the nature-based solutions emphasis at
COP to an unprecedented extent and so additional ideas you have
as to what that should look like.
Senator Schatz. I think it is just--so I can get to my last
question----
Ms. Power. Please.
Senator Schatz. --I think it is three things. First, let us
follow up and work with your staff. Second, let us figure out
what the kind of staffing needs are.
I also just want to put a fine point on there is a tendency
to think when we talk about deforestation about Lacey Act
implementation and enforcement. That is absolutely important. I
have supported that since I got to the Senate.
That is not what I am talking about here. I am talking
about TA and financial assistance to help people to move off of
the commodities that are actually driving the deforestation
trend around the planet.
Then a final question for you. I was pleased to see that
USAID released a vision statement for digital health in late
2020. Telehealth works.
Telehealth is particularly exciting in a lot of the
countries in which USAID works. Can you tell me how far along
you are in operationalizing the vision that was released and
what you need in order to scale telehealth across the planet?
Ms. Power. Just let me say one last word about your prior
question on reforestation or reducing deforestation just to say
I think one of the things that we are trying to do
organizationally is bring about just much more day-to-day
synergy between our bureau on food security and resilience and
our climate environment team.
I mean, those synergies can exist in any agency, but to
really create that kind of integration, which I think is--will
end up creating structures that are more responsive to the way
you formulated the question previously.
With regard to telework----
Senator Schatz. Telehealth.
Ms. Power. I have got return to work underlined.
Senator Schatz. I got it. It has been a long day.
Ms. Power. Everybody is coming back to the office in a week
or two.
On telehealth, President Biden actually just today, I think
you might have seen, launched a new health worker training
initiative. I think this is going to be--this question of how
to integrate telehealth training into healthcare worker
training is going to be one of the foundational questions.
I think Atul Gawande, our relatively recently confirmed
Assistant Administrator for Global Health, is very seized with
bringing these digital tools to bear. What that means
practically, again, I would want to dig into the details.
As an agency, we are, as you may know, very weighted in our
funding toward HIV/AIDS and PEPFAR, malaria, TB--very specific
disease burdens. We are trying to orient the agency around
something quite basic, which is this year--this past year saw
the first reduction in global life expectancy in more than a
century. It is really, really, really bad news.
We are trying to think about what does it mean to structure
USAID around actually reversing that and showing increases in
global life expectancy, and I actually think telehealth as
getting health care to more people is going to be a critical
part of the answer.
Senator Schatz. Thank you.
The Chairman. Thank you.
Senator Markey.
Senator Markey. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, very
much, and thank you for the great job which you are doing in
these troubling times that we are in.
Can we talk a little bit about climate change and the Indo-
Pacific area I have been able to include in the COMPETES Act--
we hope at some moment this year we will have the COMPETES Act
actually become law--but a requirement that the United States
Government lead a robust interagency climate resiliency and
adaptation strategy for the Indo-Pacific?
Can you talk a little bit about what you might be seeing in
that region and what impacts climate change is having in terms
of destabilizing impacts?
Ms. Power. Senator, I--it is like talking to Michael Jordan
about basketball here. You know the impacts far better than I
do. I even saw in my days as U.N. ambassador permanent
representatives of countries, that they feared would not be
member states of the United Nations even 20 years into the
future because of the actual outright disappearance of the
country into the sea.
So adaptation is with us. It is here upon us. You will see
in the 2023 budget request both, as you well know, very
substantial requests for increases in climate financing and
very substantial requests--everything is relative--for
development assistance in the Pacific Islands--I think nearly a
doubling of assistance requested there.
On adaptation, as you know, President Biden at COP launched
the PREPARE Initiative. I think another way to put it for us is
that there is not one aspect of USAID's programming that is not
now touched by climate change--touched, by and large,
negatively by climate change--and everything we do across all
of our program areas has to be, again, filtered through helping
countries adapt to what is upon them and, again, it is
particularly acute for small island developing states like
those in the Pacific.
Senator Markey. Yes. A hundred years ago when my
grandmother and grandfather were getting off the boat from
Ireland, half of that CO2 is up there and will stay up there
for another thousand years so it is all cumulative.
So much of the CO2 is red, white, and blue. We were
earliest into the Industrial Revolution, and Representative
Velazquez over in the House and I introduced a bill to create a
resettlement pathway for climate-displaced persons, and the
2021 White House climate migration report recommended that the
executive branch work with Congress to create such a legal
pathway.
Can you talk about that threat that we have? It is not just
prospective, but it is real right now in terms of climate
refugees and our need to respond.
Ms. Power. Yes. I mean, the chairman, actually, in some of
his opening comments was talking--or opening exchange talked
about the climate shocks, the food shocks, and the incredible
potential for the escalation of the already really worrying
migration trends that we are seeing.
I mean, we see it even at our own southern border and just
seeing the changing demographics of who is there. We are seeing
people en masse from countries where we were not seeing
anywhere near those numbers in the past as well as, of course,
the traditional outward migration.
What we do is try to work with countries to build more
resilient infrastructure to ensure that they are using drought
resistant or heat resistant seeds, that we are bringing the
latest innovation and technology from universities here and all
around the world to bear and to have as small--as compressed a
feedback loop in terms of what we learn and then what we plant
and support as possible.
There is no coincidence that you see the hottest years on
record correlating with historic migration and historic
conflicts. I mean, it is linear.
Senator Markey. Can I also ask you, we are on the front
line now helping Ukraine to beat back authoritarian incursion
into their country and to Europe, but we are not still not on
the front line in terms of providing aid for the vaccination of
people around the world with the goal of 70 percent of the
world vaccinated by October of this year.
Can you talk a little bit about how important that is and
why Congress should act to provide that funding?
Ms. Power. It is so important. It is so important. It is
important for the health and safety of Americans that we
drastically reduced the risk of new variants and we have done
an amazing job, we, not USAID, but we, the countries on the
frontlines of this pandemic who started with very little of the
infrastructure that we are blessed to have here in this
country.
When President Biden held his first COVID summit back in
September, lower and lower middle income countries were at 12
percent vaccination rate, Senator. Now they are at 52 percent.
Sub-Saharan Africa still lags behind.
In the countries where we last launched Global VAX, which
is a get shots in arms initiative that we launched in December
to put those billion doses that we purchased from Pfizer--get
those shots in arms--we are seeing landmark improvements.
I mean, a country like Uganda going from 21 percent of
eligible adults with one shot to 71 percent just in a matter of
months. We can do this, and it is an investment in our own
health and safety here in the United States and to not do it--
we have we have expended now 90 percent of the American Rescue
Plan emergency funds that were given to us.
We are incredibly grateful for it. So are the countries on
the frontlines of this pandemic who have not reached the
thresholds we have reached here in this country.
We are exhausting those funds. This effort to vaccinate the
world will grind to a halt if we do not get new resources and
we will regret it.
Senator Markey. I agree with you. We have to do Ukraine,
but we have to do vaccines as well, and I will also say to you
at this particularly perilous time whatever you can do to
help--give some additional help to the Red Sox bullpen would be
greatly appreciated.
Ms. Power. I think they need you. That is the only solution
that would be an upgrade.
[Laughter.]
Senator Markey. Thank you. Thank you for all your great
work.
The Chairman. It would be an upgrade for the Red Sox. It
would be a downgrade for the Senate.
Senator Coons.
Ms. Power. True.
Senator Coons. Thank you, Chairman Menendez. Thank you,
Administrator Power. It is great to be with you.
I just finished chairing a hearing of the SFOPS
Subcommittee at which Dr. Atul Gawande testified, as well as
Dr. Frieden and Dr. Ryan from--former CDC director and from the
World Health Organization.
Dr. Gawande testified in response to a number of our
questions about how soon global COVID funding will run out both
for USAID and globally and the consequences, but I think some
of this bears repeating or further exploration.
All three testified that it is very difficult to predict
when a more lethal and transmissive variant may emerge. In
fact, our ability to detect new variants globally is dropping
rapidly as the number of tests being performed and the
monitoring infrastructure in other countries is dropping off.
I would be interested in hearing from you as our nation's
development leader how significant has been the loss of
development gains as a result of the global COVID pandemic.
My impression is that we have invested billions in PEPFAR,
in the President's Malaria Initiative, in the work against TB
and other infectious and transmissive diseases and billions in
improving access to water and to health and to education, and
the COVID-19 global pandemic has been a sledgehammer to that
progress. What is your impression?
Ms. Power. Thank you, Senator.
I would just repeat something that I have to believe that
came up if Assistant Administrator Atul Gawande was testifying,
which I think is just worth pausing over, and that is that we
are experiencing globally our first decline in life expectancy
in more than 100 years.
I mean, if that does not sort of sum up the shattering
setbacks that have occurred in development and, again, this
was--when it comes to education, seeing tens of millions of
children drop out of school and not come back, but also just
the learning losses that those of us who are parents may have
experienced firsthand with all of the luxuries of having
broadband access and being able to try to supervise that.
The circumstances in which learners are dropping out of
school globally, there is no way to compensate for those lost
years other than, again, to make these investments to get them
back in school, and seeing the health setbacks on TB, on
malaria, in areas where otherwise we were on a solid
trajectory, in part, because of the generosity of the American
people and you all in making these investments.
We have to halt the slide and then set really big and
audacious goals that we used to take for granted, which is that
life expectancy needs to increase and we need to generate
resources and make investments against that goal.
Senator Coons. We have donated hundreds of millions of
doses of vaccine to dozens and dozens of countries. My
impression is that without additional funding to help fragile
public health systems in underdeveloped countries, actually
deliver them all the way out into the most remote places and to
overcome vaccine hesitancy, we are at risk of wasting or losing
that resource in a lot of countries.
Do you have any rough sense of the scale of that potential
lost investment?
Ms. Power. Let me address the question in two ways. I mean,
first of all, we, the United States, with very strong support--
bipartisan support up here--have purchased a billion Pfizer
vaccines and we have gotten about 400 million of those vaccines
into arms and about--more than 500 million vaccines, generally,
out the door to developing countries where they are so
desperately needed and where, again, in some sub-Saharan
African countries you are seeing under 10 percent vaccination
rates, including among immuno-compromised people, which is
where the greatest risks are of the most dangerous kinds of
variants potentially developing over time.
We need to get those shots in arms. We have purchased those
vaccines. The vaccines are there after more than a year in
which supply was a major gating issue. We have gotten past
that.
Vaccines just do not dance from the tarmac all the way into
rural areas. They do not overcome vaccine hesitancy or
misinformation of the kind that has been propagated, including
by some of our adversaries globally.
We need to support that and, again, Senator, we have the
results. We launched Global VAX in December. The number of
people in December 2021 that were vaccinated, fully vaccinated,
in Ghana was 12.4 percent. Now, of those eligible, 25.4
percent.
When we make the investment in cold chain storage, in pop-
up vaccine facilities, in data systems strengthening, in
meeting people where they are, bringing the vaccine to them, we
are seeing uptake and that is an investment in our health
security.
Senator Coons. Last question, briefly. Because our
vaccines, which are better and stronger and more effective,
were not available, millions of people in dozens of countries
were forced to take Russian or Chinese vaccines that have
proven ineffective against Omicron.
How significant is this moment? We face three different
reasons, I think, for us to engage in the next round of
funding: simple humanitarian concern for the health and welfare
of others, demonstrating the United States is a reliable public
health partner, but also there is an element of showing the
world that we have not just invented and delivered for our own
people the most effective vaccines, but that we are now
delivering them into the arms of millions in the developing
world.
Is that a significant factor?
Ms. Power. It certainly is a significant effect. I think
on--given that we are all stewards of taxpayer resources, I
think the fact that this is an investment in our health
security should be reason enough.
I am seeing it, Senator, in every country I visit the
desire to have mRNA vaccines, the belief that these are the
gold standard, the knowledge even in remote communities about
which vaccines are deemed the most effective, the most enduring
with their effects, and we are--most of the developing world
has not been boosted.
So even those who received vaccines that have not proven
effective against recent variants are very, very interested in
getting an mRNA boost, which can actually shore up the
effectiveness even on the prior vaccine.
This is a major strategic advantage, and maybe just the
last thing I would say is I spent some time when I was out of
government looking at the effects of PEPFAR beyond the public
health effects, but looking, for example, at the standing of
George W. Bush and the standing of the United States.
While in the wake of the invasion of Iraq it was not
terribly favorable in many parts of the world, but in sub-
Saharan Africa where these programs popped up, where they
endured, where they saved millions and millions of lives and
gave people hope where they had lacked it, the standing of the
United States, the standing of that Administration and all who
have followed it in providing that support soared.
I think you see that this is America putting a man on the
moon again and people are experiencing American science,
American innovation, and American generosity firsthand, and it
makes a difference in how they see the United States.
At a time when we are in a battle for the soul of the world
as well as a battle between democracy and authoritarianism,
this matters. This respect for the United States for a model of
governance that produces vaccines and then gives them away and
does not sell them, it matters.
Senator Coons. Thank you, Administrator. Thank you for your
forbearance, Mr. Chairman.
The Chairman. Madam Administrator, just a final couple of
questions. The Administration is working to address the drivers
of migration from Central America. The resources that USAID has
committed are significant, but are, nonetheless, insufficient
to address the challenges we face.
If we really want to address the root causes of migration
we must recognize the main drivers. Miguel Diaz-Canel, Nicolas
Maduro, Daniel Ortega--combined, these three despots have
forcibly displaced several million people from their homelands.
Worse still, they use migration in the same way that they
use food and access to basic services, as a political tool to
manipulate the population and to gain leverage with the
international community.
We also have to recognize that the vast majority of the
displaced people in this hemisphere have not fled,
notwithstanding public perception, to the U.S. Southwest
border. They have actually fled to neighboring countries like
Costa Rica, Colombia, Peru, to places where they have family or
friends, where they speak the same language and share a
culture.
We have not invested the resources necessary to assist with
the long-term integration of refugees and migrants in a
systemic way nor have we helped countries gain the full
economic benefits of migration at the same time they are facing
the challenges of migration--more children in schools, more
demand on social services, the consequences of providing
employment. I could go on and on.
So is USAID looking at this question of how we assist the
integration of those fleeing their countries in the region?
Because at some point, if we do not do that they will certainly
then make their way to the southern border.
Ms. Power. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. It is an incredibly
important question. I think it is one that the entire
Administration is grappling with, and I mentioned that that is
often the case, of course, in many of the challenges we have
described, but it is particularly the case here because a
number of the countries in which these migrants are settling
are not countries where USAID still even has a mission because
of the development progress that those countries have made
often in the past with USAID support.
So I think we are thinking a lot about the incentives and
support those countries would need. We are doing so also with
the Inter-American Development Bank, the World Bank, the IMF,
and others, thinking through what role the multilateral
development banks can have there in terms of ensuring that
those countries have the resources to----
The Chairman. What I would like to get you to commit to me
is to work with the State Department to think about----
Ms. Power. Of course.
The Chairman. --how we, ultimately, find a process which we
can incentivize to, ultimately, seek this integration, because
if not it will come to our southern border.
Ms. Power. I think you are aware, Mr. Chairman, that
discussions about regional migration agreement, much more
comprehensive approach than has been taken--this kind of more
piecemeal approach that has been taken in the past, those
discussions are very much underway and I am hopeful that at the
Summit of the Americas----
The Chairman. I appreciate it. I do not mean interrupt you.
Here is the point, that, in fact, the reality is that, yes,
they are having discussions. Basically, the discussion is how
are you going to keep people away from our border. I get it. I
understand it.
Let us be frank here. The question is, if we work to
integrate these people into the countries in which they first
come to and can be a catalyst and incentivizer of that, then we
will have less demand and we will have a better society in
these countries.
Otherwise, they will have all of demand, none of the up
side, and eventually we will have the challenge. So it is not
about dealing with the question of how do we keep them away
from our border alone.
It is how do we find a way to integrate those who have had
to flee for freedom, just as we are doing for the Ukrainians.
Maybe the Venezuelans do not look like Ukrainians. Maybe the
Cubans do not look like Ukrainians. Maybe the Nicaraguans do
not look like Ukrainians. They are fleeing, nonetheless.
I have had enough about listening about migration and the
efforts by those who just are myopic and think that we should
just put up a wall, put the hands across the border in terms of
military, and think that that is going to solve the problem.
It is not. By the same token, I have had enough from the
Administration about all their engagements is with countries
how do we stop people from coming. There has to be a better
thought than that. So and if there is not an agency--if AID is
not an agency that can help lead the way on that, I do not know
who can.
Let me just ask you two other final questions. I am pleased
to see that one of your first acts as administrator was to
appoint USAID's first chief diversity officer and to create a
Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility Office to
achieve those goals.
Can you give me a sense of how that office is going to play
this role in USAID? More precisely, how do you plan to
institutionalize AID's DEIA's efforts to ensure that they are
lasting?
Ms. Power. Thank you, Senator. I do not know how much time
I have to----
The Chairman. All right. Since I had to sit through
everybody's questions, you have unlimited time so----
[Laughter.]
Ms. Power. Okay. I would just say that the individual and
her team--our Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Accommodation
coordinator sits within the front office.
The portfolio involves not only looking at recruitment and
doing things like doubling the number of paying fellowships,
going to minority-serving institutions like Tuskegee, Delaware
State, Florida International University, Morehouse, and others,
several of which I have visited personally to make this
recruitment pitch, but also the individual is looking at
retention and we have done a lot of examination of what the
barriers for retaining underrepresented communities have been
at USAID. Now it comes time to thinking about, okay, well, how
do we apply lessons from that.
So that is one aspect of what the individual is doing,
working really closely with our Foreign Service, our Human
Capital and Talent Management Office, which looks at the direct
hires, but also really thinking about these questions for
personal service contractors and people who are hired at USAID
in other ways.
We are also bringing this DEIA agenda to the bulk of our
workforce internationally, which is nationals of the countries
in which we work. While it is true we do not have a mission
still in Costa Rica, we have missions in 80 countries and the
majority--70 percent of our staff in those countries are
nationals of the countries in which we work.
Yet, often we are recruiting from the same kind of talent
pools there as we have for many, many years and that means,
again, slighting sometimes ethnic or religious minorities or
people, again, who might come from more rural areas.
We want to bring that diversity, equity, and inclusion
agenda there. Also in our contracting and our procurement we
have tried to make it easier now to lower the barriers of entry
for small businesses--for small businesses and other
contractors who are led by women or led by minorities.
That is a work in progress. Even getting the data on that
has proven more challenging than I would have expected. We want
to see real changes as well in the diversity of the
partnerships that we do because we are expending significant
resources, and to just do so in the same old places in the same
old ways, I think, would be falling short.
The Chairman. I appreciate all that, and I would just say
that--as I say to different leaders in the business roundtable
who come to see me, diversity starts at the top in terms of who
leads your company or in this case who leads the agency, and it
starts at the top by making it a priority and having those who
work underneath you understand that part of the judgment as to
their performance will be how they perform in this regard, and
then we get true change, at the end of the day.
So I think you are headed in the right direction. I just
will urge you when you are having your senior staff levels that
this is a clear message to them about what you expect
throughout.
Lastly, I am concerned that USAID has not prioritized the
critical work of supporting trade unions and nongovernmental
organizations devoted to workers' rights. It seems to me that
U.S. foreign aid and development policies and programs have to
also prioritize worker rights and freedom of association
protections in order that we can achieve the equitable economic
development and strengthen democratic practices abroad.
So could you describe to me what you have done to build
USAID's labor capacity and expertise internally to the
organization and how will you ensure that USAID programs are
effectively strengthening and promoting labor rights and
workers' voices internationally?
Ms. Power. Thank you. I will just touch upon something you
and I had the chance to talk about by phone so I will not
belabor.
As we seek to expand lawful pathways for migration in
Northern and Central America, we are very excited about that
effort. We think it provides a wonderful opportunity for
American businesses and for people seeking economic opportunity
in the Northern Triangle countries for that matchmaking to
occur and it can be a win-win situation, but it will not be a
win-win unless we also are incredibly vigilant on the labor
rights side of things.
So we are looking--working with the governments of the
three countries to think about how to strengthen knowledge and
awareness of people who come into the United States about where
they can find protection, where they can find resources.
Mexico has consulates sprinkled throughout the country. The
three Northern Triangle countries, of course, do not have quite
the same presence, but still have resources to draw upon, and
we are working, particularly, as it relates to the H-2A program
to make sure, again, that the rights of farm workers, in
particular, are protected when they come north of the border.
So just to say sometimes it does not show up as a direct
line item in a budget, but it is about the integration of
attention to labor rights in the programming that we do.
I would also note that the President's 2023 budget request,
as we have already discussed in this hearing, includes a
substantial increase for democracy rights in governance
programming.
I think central to that is the question of how we enhance
our support for worker rights, whether in a country like
Bangladesh where you have done so much work, or globally,
because one line item in the funding is to try to support
social movements and it is more often than not workers who are
at the forefront of democratic movements who try to bring about
more accountable governance of the kind that has been around.
The Chairman. I appreciate that and we will see how it
unfolds, and we look forward to working with you to ensure
that.
I should have said this at the beginning of the hearing,
but we welcome as well your Assistant Administrator for
Legislative Affairs, Jody Herman, who was the staff director of
the Foreign Relations Committee. A good choice by you, at the
end of the day, respected on both sides of the aisle.
There are no other members seeking questions. So this
record will remain open to the close of business Friday, May
the 13th, and I urge members who have a question if they have
not gotten to ask that it is submitted by that time.
With the thanks of the committee for your participation,
Madam Administrator, and your service, this hearing is
adjourned.
[Whereupon, at 4:42 p.m., the hearing was adjourned.]
----------
Additional Material Submitted for the Record
Responses of Ms. Samantha Power to Questions
Submitted by Senator Robert Menendez
Question. Ukraine: The Pentagon has said that it expects the
funding in the Ukraine Supplemental will last 5 months.
With regard to the humanitarian, economic, and development
assistance, do you anticipate a similar timeline?
When might we reasonably expect an additional supplemental?
(Recognizing this may be a difficult question to answer, to the best
extent USAID can provide an estimate is critical for Congress in terms
of planning.)
Answer. USAID's development programming operates along simultaneous
and complementary timelines that are immediate, medium, and long-term,
ultimately aimed at supporting Ukraine's recovery and reconstruction,
and securing its long-term trajectory toward a democratic, independent,
and prosperous future. USAID is in the process of notifying and
obligating funds from both Ukraine supplementals to address priority
issues, including Direct Budget Support.
USAID is quickly programming the humanitarian assistance and food
security funding provided in the Ukraine supplemental, both to scale up
its response to the crisis in Ukraine and to support other vulnerable
populations globally. USAID expects to spend the humanitarian funds
from the first supplemental on a similar timeline as DoD, with the
majority programmed in the coming months.
Question. Frontline states: I am glad that the U.S. has supported
international organizations operating in frontline states like Poland,
which has taken in over 3 million refugees. However, I am concerned
that the strength of the international response in supporting other
frontline states, such as Moldova and Romania, has not been as robust
despite these countries taking in hundreds of thousands of refugees
from Ukraine.
How does this budget in partnership with the Ukraine supplemental
make sure that all frontline states are supported in doing the
important work of hosting Ukrainian refugees?
Answer. USAID coordinates closely with the State Department's
Bureau for Population, Refugees, and Migration, which leads the U.S.
Government Ukrainian refugee response.
State/PRM has provided funding to support humanitarian assistance
for refugees who have fled Ukraine for Romania. This funding is
supporting five UN agencies to deliver food, health, livelihoods,
protection, shelter, and water, sanitation, and hygiene assistance, as
well as multipurpose cash assistance, to refugees. While USAID does not
provide direct assistance to Romania, we have been in close contact
with Romanian Government officials to convey U.S. Government support
and to facilitate close cooperation among the United States and other
frontline states. I also saw first hand the refugee situation in Poland
and Slovakia during my most recent visits and had extensive discussions
with both the partner-government and civil society organizations which
assist refugees. In addition, I have regular meetings with our
counterparts in the European Union to synchronize our assistance
efforts and ensure that frontline member states are likewise receiving
appropriate support as they generously welcome and absorb an
unprecedented number of refugees.
On April 6, I announced $50 million of additional economic and
development assistance to bolster Moldova's resilience to the long-term
economic consequences of Putin's brutal war in Ukraine, and have
already provided $30 million in humanitarian assistance. These
resources will support Moldova to welcome refugees with the dignity and
compassion they have shown for months. The FY23 request will also
support Moldova's economic recovery and mitigate effects of loss of
trade due to the conflict, while also advancing long-term goals of
improving the transparency, efficiency and competitiveness of key
sectors of Moldova's economy and strengthening market linkages with
Europe and Western partners.
Question. Energy crisis: Russia's ruthless invasion of Ukraine has
revealed the energy insecurities not only of Ukraine, but also of the
European continent. Promoting EU-Ukrainian-Moldovan grid
synchronization is central to promoting European energy security and
USAID has been invaluable in moving this effort along.
Please provide an update on the status of EU-Ukrainian-Moldovan
grid synchronization and what USAID has done since February 24 to
advance this effort.
It is my understanding that USAID has led United States'
engagements in providing technical assistance to the Ukrainian
Government on its efforts to integrate into the EU energy grid. The
first Ukraine supplemental provided $30 million to the Department of
Energy for these purposes. Is USAID able to access the $30 million in
supplemental appropriations allocated to the Department of Energy to
assist with grid synchronization?
Or at the very least, is DOE consulting and coordinating with
USAID's experts with the experience in this effort?
Would it be helpful for Congress to make a technical correction to
this portion of the first Ukraine supplemental to ensure USAID can
appropriately access these resources?
Answer. Since 2004, USAID has been supporting the development and
westward integration of Ukrenergo and Moldelectrica--the electric
transmission system operators (TSOs) of Ukraine and Moldova. USAID
support to both TSOs has prepared Ukraine and Moldova for integration
into Europe by incorporating European procedures and standards into
corporate operations and building organizational capacity to maintain
power system operations through crisis scenarios, such as unexpected
outages in winter 2014 and during the current Russian invasion.
On February 24, Ukraine and Moldova initiated a planned temporary
disconnection from all neighboring power systems for an ``island mode''
test, required as part of the interconnection process to prove that
Ukraine's and Moldova's power systems could maintain stability under
extreme conditions. They were expected to conduct several internal
system stability tests for 3 days and then reconnect with the Russian
power system on February 27. Instead, the Russian invasion started on
the 24, requiring Ukraine and Moldova to complete the internal test in
12 hours. USAID provided support throughout these tests, with technical
advisors ``virtually embedded'' in Ukrenergo's dispatch center,
monitoring power system stability and providing advisory services.
Ukraine and Moldova elected to forgo a reconnection with the
Russian system, leaving their electric power systems operating in
island mode. USAID continued to provide advisory support over the
subsequent weeks until ENTSO-E members agreed to an emergency
synchronization with the Ukraine/Moldova power system on March 16. This
emergency connection is intended to provide frequency support to
Ukraine and Moldova, helping to ensure the continued stability of the
power system; it is not intended to support large-scale commercial
power trade.
USAID is now assisting Ukrenergo and Moldelectrica to meet ENTSO-
E's technical requirements required for ``permanent'' synchronization.
For example, USAID is providing technical expertise to Ukrenergo to
calibrate automatic generation controls (AGCs) within certain Ukrainian
power plants and to assess battery technologies that Ukrenergo could
install to further improve grid stability. In Moldova, USAID is
assisting Moldelectrica to adopt ENTSO-E's operational, planning, and
security requirements. For example, USAID provided Moldelectrica with
U.S. equipment to ensure Moldova can send encrypted communications and
sensitive network data with ENTSO-E.
USAID is also providing support in both countries to enable
commercial trade and/or sale of power from Ukraine and Moldova to
Central Europe. A limited amount of electricity trade from Ukrainian
producers to European markets would provide much needed revenue to
address an estimated monthly shortfall of $200 million in the Ukrainian
electricity sector due to lack of demand, bill collections, etc.
resulting from the invasion. USAID is supporting the Ukrainian energy
regulator and other relevant institutions in establishing the
appropriate European practices, such as updating cross-border
transmission capacity allocation and rules, defining a market-based
trading system to allow Ukrainian generators to engage with European
counterparts on cross-border trades, etc. In Moldova, USAID is
assisting state-run electricity supplier, Energocom, to be able to
trade on the Ukrainian and more advanced European electricity markets
and supporting the Ministry of Infrastructure and Regional Development
and the national regulator (ANRE) to adopt and implement European
market rules.
Interagency Coordination and First Supplemental: USAID continues to
support Ukraine and Moldova in integrating their electric power system
and energy markets into central Europe. We provide regular briefings to
and coordinate with the interagency, including the National Security
Council, State Department, and Department of Energy. USAID does not
have access to the $30 million in supplemental funding, and we have
proactively advised the Department of Energy on areas where longer-term
assistance from the National Laboratories might be able to supplement
our programming. USAID remains poised to collaborate with the
Department of Energy and other agencies, given USAID's engagement in
this sector, our longstanding relationships with key stakeholders, and
substantive on-the-ground presence of USAID staff and implementing
partners.
Question. Ukraine Short Term vs. Long Term Needs: I understand that
the Office of Transition Initiatives is looking both to meet the urgent
needs of the Ukrainian people, and think about addressing the needs of
society after the war is over.
How is this budget broken down between the immediate concerns of
Ukrainians, including access to fuel, generators, and food--and the
long term needs of Ukrainians, including building a lasting peace?
Answer. Approximately half of USAID/OTI's programming is focused on
supporting the Ukrainian Government's and civil society's emergency
response to meet the immediate needs of Ukrainians impacted by the war.
The remaining program activities support longer-term issues, such as
advancing positive, truthful narratives about the war and Ukraine,
strengthening social cohesion in key areas, and contributing to
national healing by documenting atrocities and providing mental health
support. Over the next 6 months, USAID/OTI expects the proportion of
activities focused on immediate/emergency response needs will continue
to decrease to 25-30 percent of programmatic activities. USAID/OTI's
activities and programmatic direction are closely coordinated with the
USAID/Ukraine Mission, the USAID Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance,
other U.S. Government agencies and other donors active in Ukraine to
ensure that any initial contributions for reconstruction work
complement longer-term efforts. Due to USAID/OTI's ability to pivot
programming in response to emerging field driven needs and dynamics,
USAID anticipates that the ratio of short-term to long-term needs could
fluctuate in direct response to the intensity of the crisis.
Question. Food Security: As many countries, especially those in the
MENA region, heavily depend on Black Sea grain and other food commodity
imports, Russia's continued illegal invasion of Ukraine threatens to
have serious short and long-term ripple effects in the region. In
countries such as Syria and Yemen, who rely on food aid from the U.N.
and USAID programs, the surging prices and shortage of essential food
supplies risks further exacerbating food insecurity, while in other
countries such as Lebanon, Tunisia and Egypt, increasing prices have
led to widespread public anger and social unrest.
Are there mechanisms at USAID that can be used to address this gap?
Answer. USAID is exploring social safety net programs in the region
that would allow us to quickly ramp up support to mitigate the effects
of rising food prices on the most vulnerable households who already
spend the largest portion of their income on food and are acutely
affected. Mechanisms that bolster resilient farming and agricultural
production in places like Iraq, Lebanon, Syria, and Yemen can support
livelihoods and domestic food sources at a time of rising prices and
inflation. USAID has several existing programs that form initial
efforts to mitigate the acute and disproportionate regional impact of
Russia's invasion, and could be scaled up should additional funds be
appropriated by Congress for this purpose.
In response to rising global food insecurity, the USG announced
plans in late April to draw down the full balance--$282 million--of the
Bill Emerson Humanitarian Trust (BEHT) to support emergency food
assistance activities in six countries that are experiencing food
insecurity, including Yemen. BEHT funds will bolster existing emergency
food operations supported by USAID/BHA, providing procurements of
wheat, vegetable oil, and Ready to Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF) for the
treatment of severe acute malnutrition. USAID plans to direct the
majority of BEHT funding for Yemen toward the procurement of wheat from
the U.S. with BEHT-procured wheat projected to reach Yemen by fall of
2022.
In Tunisia, USAID is working with small and medium enterprises
(SMEs) to mitigate the impact of agriculture supply chain disruptions
and exploring additional support for social safety net programming.
In Lebanon, since January 2022, USAID has provided nearly $104
million to the UN World Food Program (WFP), supporting more than
740,000 people, both refugees and vulnerable Lebanese, affected by the
country's ongoing economic crisis, whose needs have been exacerbated by
the impacts of the war in Ukraine. USAID provides technical assistance
and in-kind grants to Lebanese agribusinesses and farmers to increase
yields, link growers to markets, and promote export opportunities.
USAID is also providing non-perishable food parcels to the families of
public-school students in grades 1 to 6--approximately 145,000 students
through USAID's basic education project.
In April 2022, USAID/Egypt asked its ongoing Egypt Rural
Agribusiness Strengthening (ERAS) activity to begin supporting our
beneficiary farmers during the wheat growing season. This year's wheat
harvest has already begun, so for this season, ERAS is helping 5,000
farmers with post-harvest handling and improving temporary on-farm
storage.
In the West Bank and Gaza (WBG), in FY22, USAID provided $4 million
in emergency multi-purpose cash assistance to support the most
vulnerable Palestinian households to purchase food and other critical
goods available in local markets.
Prior to the Ukraine conflict, USAID/WBG also pivoted $20.2 million
in FY20 Economic Support Funds to support WFP's e-voucher food program,
benefitting 180,000 Palestinians. The programmatic change to WFP was a
result of close consultation with Congress and the intent to serve a
specific population and address key development challenges at the time.
With additional resources, USAID stabilization programming,
including our Supporting Livelihoods in Syria (SLS), Economic
Management For Stabilization (EMS), and Building Resilient and
Inclusive Communities in Conflict (BRICC) mechanisms can rehabilitate
agriculture, related sectors impacted by agriculture, value chains, and
requisite infrastructure in non-regime held areas of northeast Syria.
These programs can provide technical training, market connections, and
inputs (such as seeds and fertilizers); improve water and irrigation
(with climate-smart technologies); restore infrastructure (such as
bakeries, mills, and seed sorting facilities) and market systems;
improve financing and credit; and strengthen local authorities' and
civil society's ability to meet their communities' needs. USAID could
make a contribution to the multi-donor Syria Recovery Trust Fund (SRTF)
to benefit farm families with inputs, allow for the cultivation of more
hectares of wheat, and leverage additional funds from other donors to
expand assistance to more farm families.
Question. COVID-19 Global Recovery: The U.S. is gradually gaining
control of COVID-19, but the disease continues to surge worldwide. Many
people on the planet are still waiting for vaccinations.
How are you adapting your COVID-19 programs, including the Global
VAX program, given the lapse in funding?
Answer. Without additional funding, USAID will have to scale back
efforts to build country readiness and absorptive capacity for COVID-19
vaccination, which could lead to the expiration of doses provided,
cause unnecessary death and suffering worldwide, and risk the emergence
and spread of dangerous variants.
By early fall, many of USAID's COVID-19 programs will be winding
down even as the job remains unfinished. Failing to help these
countries get shots into arms means we will leave their populations
unprotected with continued risk that the virus will continue to mutate
into new, potentially more dangerous variants.
Similarly, this year, USAID is supporting the building of
dependable, sustainable medical liquid oxygen capacity in dozens of
hospitals in about 13 countries and is launching plans for
implementation of ``test and treat'' efforts with new oral antiviral
drugs against COVID-19 in several countries. Without additional
resources, USAID will be unable to support oxygen capacity in
facilities in more countries so they are prepared for pandemic surges,
with potential benefits for increasing life-saving oxygen for maternal-
neonatal care, child pneumonia and adult pneumonia generally as well;
the Agency will also be unable to promote expansion of the ``test and
treat'' efforts beyond the limited implementation this year,
potentially leading to more missed positive cases and increased rates
of morbidity and mortality.
Question. Global Health Security: The FY23 budget includes an
unprecedented $6.5 billion in Global Health Programs mandatory funding.
Please explain why the Administration is proposing some Global
Health Programs funding as mandatory, rather than discretionary.
Answer. The U.S. Government and our partners have benefited
enormously from the global health security investments Congress has
funded over the past decade, which have paid off substantially in
building capacity to prevent, detect, and respond to COVID-19, recent
outbreaks of Ebola, and dozens of other infectious disease threats.
The Administration's request is intended to make transformative
investments to better prevent, detect, and respond to pandemics, and to
build a world safe and secure from biological threats. It is a strong
step to build global momentum, secure buy-in and pledges from other
donors, and to work towards a sustainable future. Requesting these
funds on the mandatory side provides a longer period of availability
and ensures funds are programmed for this critical global need without
the fluctuations and competing pressures on the annual budget cycle.
President Biden has been clear that the world needs additive
investments in global health security and pandemic preparedness. This
request is not meant to replace or displace discretionary funds and
programs.
The return-on-investment of preparedness investments is astounding:
a recent World Bank and World Health Organization (WHO) paper cited a
1:1100 ROI on pandemic preparedness financing, compared to 1:14 for
traditional global health investments. These investments can make
ourselves and the world safer and save trillions in future losses due
to pandemics.
Question. Armenia: 90,000 people fled Nagorno Karabakh for Armenia
as a result of the war in 2020. This population continues to have
significant humanitarian needs, including maternal and child health and
access to clean drinking water.
How does this budget support the needs of this population?
Answer. Since September 2020, USAID has provided more than $4.5
million in total assistance to respond to the complex humanitarian
crisis resulting from the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and associated
COVID-19 resurgence. USAID provided food, shelter, emergency health
assistance, and social services to communities displaced from Nagorno-
Karabakh in Armenia. This includes $2.5 million in emergency
humanitarian assistance, to provide cash assistance to food-insecure
displaced persons and in-kind assistance to host-family households,
addressing health, shelter and WASH sectors to mitigate the spread of
COVID-19 for displaced individuals and collective shelters. The agency
also continues to seek opportunities to help build constructive cross-
border interaction and cooperation as the basis for peace and stability
across the South Caucasus.
Today, only a fraction of the 90,000 originally displaced remain in
Armenia. Looking to FY23, USAID will implement five separate activities
that span across sectors of society to support displaced persons. Focus
areas will include strengthening the delivery of social services for
vulnerable populations; expanding equal access to water; bolstering
community preparedness and resilience to disasters; increasing
opportunities for greater citizen participation in education, labor
market, and local decision-making; and strengthening local governance.
Question. U.S. Direct Hires: I recognize the importance of U.S.
direct hires to USAID's work. However, USAID could not function without
the support and input of personal services contractors and foreign
service nationals.
What other funding are you requesting to meet USAID's workforce
goals and support those already serving USAID, including personal
services contractors (or PSCs) and foreign service nationals (FSNs)?
Answer. The FY 2023 Operating Expense (OE) request supports various
components of the Agency's workforce. The FY 2023 request includes
$111.5 million in OE which will fund an additional 200 USDH positions,
100 FS and 100 CS, in the first year of the Global Development
Partnership Initiative. The Global Development Partnership Initiative
(GDPI) is USAID's multi-year effort to address staffing needs by
revitalizing the USDH workforce in line with the Administration's
priorities and National Security Memorandum 3. Through GDPI, USAID will
build a responsive and resilient workforce by increasing the size and
diversity of the permanent career workforce and providing flexibility
to hire non-career direct hire staff. Workforce expansion will focus on
climate change, democracy and anti-corruption expertise, global health
security, national security, operational management (procurement, human
resources, financial management, and information technology), and a
more permanent humanitarian assistance workforce. The request for the
Global Development Partnership Initiative also includes $3 million to
expand our FSN workforce by 33 additional positions to support the U.S.
direct-hire workforce. The request also includes funding to support an
FSN pay increase of approximately $5.6 million.
The DEIA funding request in FY 2023 is $20 million, an increase
from the $9.5 million FY 2022 enacted level. The additional funds would
expand participation in Civil Service hiring programs and the Payne
Fellowship Program, increase paid internships, and enhance strategic
outreach to groups currently underrepresented at the Agency. Funding
will also increase professional development opportunities to staff from
underrepresented communities across hiring mechanisms.
Further, the Agency is committed to prioritizing equity in benefits
among its workforce. To that end, USAID is implementing paid parental
leave and relocation expense benefits for our U.S. Personal Services
Contractors (USPSCs). The paid parental leave benefit will be provided
to USPSCs at the Agency's policy discretion, in a manner based on the
provisions of the Federal Employee Paid Leave Act. USPSCs may be
granted up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave in connection with the
birth or placement (for adoption or foster care) of a child.
The new relocation expense benefit will provide eligible USPSCs a
miscellaneous expense amount and a pre-departure subsistence
reimbursement to offset relocation transfer costs. The miscellaneous
expense is a flat amount, calculated based on family size, while the
per diem pre-departure subsistence reimbursement will be based on the
U.S. locality from which our staff depart, or normally reside, for
transfers from the United States to a post abroad.
Question. What efforts are being made to convert Personal Service
Contractors to direct hires (particularly those PSCs who have served on
multiple contracts and are interested in being direct hire employees of
USAID)?
Answer. ISCs and PSCs are valued members of USAID's workforce who
make significant contributions to the Agency's mission. Currently, no
legal authority enables PSCs to convert to direct hires; they must
apply to open job announcements on USAJobs. However, the Agency is
supportive of staff from non-direct hiring mechanisms who are
interested in direct-hire positions, and provides opportunities to
learn about the Federal application process if that is the career path
staff would like to pursue. Because many PSCs have multiple years of
experience working with USAID, they tend to be competitive candidates
for open positions. The agency is committed to utilizing a variety of
non-competitive eligibilities to support PSCs who want to transition to
civil service direct hire positions such as Schedule A and Disabled
Veteran authorities, which allow for appointments non-competitively.
Question. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI): The President's
budget request includes funding for an additional 100 Civil Service
(CS) and 100 Foreign Service (FS) positions to revitalize the
workforce.
How will diversity recruitment and hiring goals be applied to
sourcing for these direct hire positions, including increasing racial
and ethnic diversity, and implementing the 2022-26 Joint State-USAID
Strategic Plan goal for USAID to increase the number of employees with
disabilities from 2 percent to 12 percent by September 30, 2023?
Answer. USAID is committed to increasing diversity, ensuring
equity, improving inclusion, and expanding accessibility (DEIA) across
our workplace and operations, in line with major commitments from the
Biden-Harris administration. USAID's DEIA Strategic Plan includes two
objectives related to workforce equity, both of which emphasize
promoting equitable policies and practices across the employment
lifecycle (e.g., recruitment, hiring, promotions, compensation, and
professional development) in order to contribute to a more equitable
workplace free from discrimination, harassment, and retaliation.
As reflected in the request for additional Civil Service (CS) and
Foreign Service (FS) positions, USAID's Office of Human Capital and
Talent Management (HCTM) is currently leading a multi-year effort to
revitalize USAID's workforce by increasing the size of its career
workforce and, in line with USAID's DEIA and Equal Employment
Opportunity (EEO) objectives, investing in building a more diverse and
inclusive USAID staff worldwide that is properly trained to tackle the
complex global challenges of our time. HCTM is working closely with the
Office of the Chief Diversity Officer and Office of Civil Rights (OCR),
as well as with other Bureaus, Independent Offices, and Missions, to
conduct comprehensive strategic workforce planning that will be
informed by DEIA and EEO principles, and by innovative tools for data
analytics and workforce planning.
These data-driven efforts are being complemented by additional
initiatives to recruit and retain talented staff from historically
underserved and/or under-represented communities. In 2021, we created
two new divisions within OCR, specifically the Affirmative Employment
and Disability Employment divisions, to help advance our recruitment
and hiring goals. USAID continues to engage the Department of Labor's
Workforce Recruitment Program as a resource for providing candidates
with disabilities for employment consideration and has also prioritized
the use of Schedule A and Disabled Veteran non-competitive hiring
mechanisms. In the last year, we expanded our support for the Donald M.
Payne International Development Fellowship Program, which recruits
highly competitive candidates from underrepresented backgrounds to join
USAID's Foreign Service. We have developed and continue to develop
groundbreaking memorandums of understanding with Minority Serving
Institutions (MSIs), such as Historically Black Colleges and
Universities and Hispanic Serving Institutions, as part of a broader
push to both recruit from and more closely partner with these important
institutions, and will be holding several MSI conferences later this
year to promote our recruitment and partnership efforts. We have also
launched initiatives to build greater awareness of hiring practices
that lead to more inclusive and equitable outcomes, including requiring
Unconscious Bias training for all individuals participating in Foreign
Service Promotion, Tenure, and Assignment Boards.
Taken together, we believe these actions will help us achieve our
ambitious hiring and diversity goals to help USAID better achieve its
global, lifesaving mission around the world.
Question. Women and Girls: On International Women's Day this year,
the President announced a historic request for $2.6 billion dollars to
support and advance gender equality through foreign assistance in FY23,
yet the United States remains well behind in its funding commitments to
targeted gender equality programming and to mainstreaming gender into
all its foreign assistance.
How will the Agency ensure that gender is at the heart of U.S.
foreign aid and does not get siloed or diminished?
Answer. The advancement of gender equity and equality remains a
priority for the Agency.
The integration of gender equality work is captured in the
requirements of the Women's Entrepreneurship and Economic Empowerment
Act of 2018 and the USAID Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment
Policy and it is now reflected in the resources we have requested to
accomplish our strategic priorities. USAID has well-established
standards for what constitutes gender analysis and gender assistance,
including for Gender Equality/Women's Empowerment-Primary (where the
primary purpose is gender equality outcomes); and Gender Equality/
Women's Empowerment-Secondary (where gender equality is integrated into
programming as a secondary purpose); Gender-based Violence; and Women,
Peace, and Security.
The Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment Hub (GenDev) provides
technical assistance, coordination, and training to support the
integration of gender priorities into programming, in collaboration
with our broader gender architecture of Gender Advisors and POCs
throughout the Agency. GenDev aims to support missions and bureaus as
they plan for increasing gender assistance within their portfolios,
including through a series of workshops on the gender key issues and
attributions, training, technical assistance, and other programming
resources related to gender integration.
Question. Gender-Based Violence: Gender-based violence continues to
devastate the lives of women and girls around the world and to threaten
the peace and security of communities and nations. In particular, the
needs of women and girls in conflict have been an afterthought for too
long in the international response to conflict and humanitarian
emergencies, despite the clear systematic use of rape and sexual
violence as a weapon of war. I am concerned that USAID is not doing
enough to adequately respond to gender-based violence, including in
Ukraine where we know the U.S. and international response thus far has
been wholly insufficient to protect the women and girls who remain at
grave risk of rape, sexual assault, and trafficking.
How will the Agency uphold protections against gender-based
violence as a core pillar of diplomatic efforts, programming, and
operations?
Answer. I share your concern on gender based violence and the
continued, systematic use of rape, sexual assault and violence against
women in Ukraine and other setting such as Tigray. USAID is
prioritizing the prevention of and response to gender-based violence
(GBV) in its Ukraine response, in accordance with the U.S. Government's
Safe from the Start initiative, which commits the Agency to supporting
GBV prevention and response from the outset of a crisis, as well as
throughout the crisis. Recognizing the need to lead advocacy and fill
response capacity gaps, the USAID Ukraine Crisis Disaster Assistance
Response Team (DART) activated a Protection Advisor immediately
following the invasion and deployed the Advisor to guide the scale-up
of USAID's protection portfolio in Ukraine.
USAID is currently supporting eight protection partners in Ukraine
and quickly processing awards for several others. This programming
includes bolstering social work services (per request from national
authorities); establishing professionally staffed women and girls' safe
spaces in areas with high concentrations of displaced populations;
integrating GBV services alongside sexual and reproductive health
partners; rolling out in-person, digital, and hotline-based information
campaigns to mitigate risks of trafficking; and deploying mobile
response units that provide emergency case management and psychosocial
support.
Jointly with U.S. Department of State colleagues, USAID advocates
with fellow funders and humanitarian response leadership to demonstrate
sustained commitment among all key stakeholders to proactively address
GBV in emergencies and support survivors. The USAID DART met with the
UN Special Representative of the Secretary General on Conflict-Related
Sexual Violence and continues to liaise with the Gender-Based Violence
Sub-Cluster (the main humanitarian coordinating body for gender-based
violence response) to identify and fill priority gaps.
As you are aware, USAID, with State, is revising the U.S. Strategy
to Prevent and Respond to Gender-Based Violence Globally per President
Biden's Executive Order 14020. This revision also highlights the
interagency need to address women, girls, and other marginalized groups
impacted by crisis and conflict to remain at forefront of any response.
The emphasis is not only to highlight the particularities of violence
during conflict, but tie it to other efforts the USG is doing in the
area, including the Global Fragility Act, Safe from the Start, and the
U.S. Strategy for Addressing the Root Causes of Migration in Central
America.
Question. We know how important it is to set up preventive measures
at the onset of conflict and that we need to integrate services into
other programs. The Safe from the Start program ensures that this work
happens, and I'm proud to co-lead the effort to codify it into law.
Will you commit to working with Congress to fund and strengthen
this program?
Answer. Yes. USAID appreciates the strong support of the Chairman
and co-drafters for programming to address gender-based violence in
emergencies (GBViE). USAID's Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance (BHA)
has long been a champion for GBViE, demonstrated by the launch of the
Safe from Start initiative in collaboration with the U.S. Department of
State Bureau for Population, Refugees, and Migration (PRM) in 2013.
Safe from the Start has increased the quality and quantity of the U.S.
Government's (USG) humanitarian GBV prevention and response activities.
For instance, BHA's GBV funding has continued to increase by $10
million or more each year since, reaching $103 million in Fiscal Year
(FY) 2021. The initiative is leveraged in advocacy with fellow donors;
global and national coordination bodies; and response agencies to scale
up GBV activities.
Safe from the Start propelled the USG and the humanitarian
community forward, reinforcing humanitarian GBV programming as truly
life-saving and urgent. Sadly, GBV needs continue to outpace current
programming. In early 2021, BHA and PRM undertook an ambitious rewrite
of Safe from the Start, informed by 10 multi-stakeholder consultations
in three languages. The new Safe from the Start ReVisioned will outline
new, more ambitious goals to realize a systematic shift in humanitarian
response that centers on women and girls. It focuses on improving and
expanding GBV programming, increasing expertise, shifting power to
disaster-affected women, and recognizing them as experts, providers,
and leaders.
USAID welcomes continued Congressional attention and looks forward
to collaborating with Congress to drive progress on preventing and
responding to GBV in emergencies.
Question. Countering Authoritarianism: Vladimir Putin's invasion of
Ukraine has shown in stark terms what is at stake in the battle between
autocracies and democracies. In order to be successful in this fight, I
believe the Administration must redouble its efforts to counter
authoritarianism and bolster democracies.
How will this proposed budget strengthen USAID's ability to combat
authoritarianism and support democracies?
Following the Summit for Democracy, the Administration announced a
series of programs through the Presidential Initiative for Democratic
Renewal, many which will be administered through USAID. How will these
programs advance the efforts to combat authoritarianism on a global
scale?
Answer. Russia's unprovoked war against Ukraine represents a
fundamental challenge to the security and prosperity of democracies
worldwide, but Russia's descent into authoritarianism is not an
aberration. Today, for the first time in decades, more people live
under authoritarian rule than democratic rule, and backsliding is
occurring in even the most established democracies. Authoritarian
leaders are reaching across borders to undermine democracies--from
targeting journalists and human rights defenders to meddling in
elections. The first Summit for Democracy, convened by President Biden
in December 2021, kicked off a bold agenda that brings together
governments, civil society, and private sector actors to foster
democratic resilience and to resist and ultimately reverse the global
spread of authoritarianism.
During the first Summit for Democracy, the U.S. launched the
Presidential Initiative for Democratic Renewal (PIDR), a series of
policy and foreign assistance programs that rally governments,
activists, non-governmental organizations, companies, and others to
combat authoritarianism and address core threats to democracy. The PIDR
seeks to expand and modernize U.S. efforts to bolster democracy and
defend human rights abroad. PIDR efforts center on five areas of work
crucial to countering authoritarianism and democratic backsliding, and
in which we perceive our democracy assistance efforts to need an update
to meet the present moment: supporting free and independent media,
fighting corruption, bolstering democratic reformers, advancing
technology for democracy, and defending free and fair elections and
political processes.
USAID's democracy and anti-corruption deliverables under PIDR
include a number of innovative programs and initiatives, including:
The Powered by the People initiative, which will use new
methods to empower and improve the efficacy of citizen
movements to counter authoritarian threats.
Support for the International Fund for Public Interest Media
(IFPIM), which will increase media sustainability--especially
in resource-poor and fragile settings--and shed light on the
actions of authoritarian actors.
The Defamation Defense Fund (recently renamed ``Reporters
Mutual''), an insurance fund to shield investigative
journalists from defamation lawsuits and allow them to continue
their critical work.
The Combating Transnational Corruption Grand Challenge,
which will allow USAID to work with global partners to develop
innovative tools and technologies and launch joint initiatives
to reduce transnational corruption.
The Defending Democratic Elections Fund, which will help
countries and electoral community actors to proactively address
the wide range of contemporary threats to elections and
political processes posed by authoritarian and other malign
actors.
The Advancing Digital Democracy initiative, which will work
with governments, technologists, and civil society to push back
against digital authoritarianism across the full digital
ecosystem.
The Partnerships for Democracy initiative, which will surge
support to countries experiencing democratic openings, bringing
government and non-governmental stakeholders together to pursue
inclusive reforms, improve service delivery, and demonstrate
that democracy delivers in ways that alternative models cannot.
USAID's FY 2023 Request includes a combined total of $270 million
across democracy and anti-corruption to expand and sustain the PIDR
programs and initiatives we announced at the time of the first Summit.
Question. Tunisia: Economic support funds (ESF) are dedicated to
programs that strengthen independent judiciaries, protect human rights
and freedom of the press, combat corruption, and increase public
accountability and access to justice. The $45 million dollar ESF
request for Tunisia is nearly a 50 percent decrease from the requested
FY22 amount.
While I am concerned with Tunisia's current democratic trajectory,
given that Tunisia may be holding elections in December and is
currently facing increasing economic problems, can you elaborate on the
reasoning for the proposed cuts to Tunisia's economic support funding,
which could be used to support rule of law and improved governance?
Answer. The FY 2023 Budget Request for Tunisia reflects the
Administration's deep concerns regarding the trajectory of Tunisia's
democracy. President Saied's consolidation of power coincides with
serious economic problems affecting Tunisians. The Administration has
been clear with the Government of Tunisia (GoT) that more progress is
needed and we continue to urge a swift return to democratic governance.
The proposed cuts will further limit engagement with the GoT given our
concerns with the state of Tunisian democracy. While we remain
concerned, we recognize the need to maintain programming that helps
Tunisians remain resilient through challenges facing their economy and
democracy.
USAID programming in Tunisia continues to directly support the
Tunisian people through private sector and civil society interventions.
With the upcoming anticipated elections, we are working with local
partners to ensure democratic reforms can take place and are credible.
This includes preparing for civic and voter education campaigns,
combatting disinformation, promoting civil society advocacy, and
deploying trained domestic election observers.
Question. Russian Malign Influence in Africa: As a November 2019
article in the New York Times detailed, Russia is reviving efforts to
assert influence in Africa. Over the past several years there has been
a notable expansion of Russian activity including, as the
aforementioned article mentions, interfering in the elections in
Madagascar. The Wagner Group, long understood to have ties to the
Kremlin, has been active for several years in Central African Republic,
Mali and is reportedly expanding activities in Sudan in the wake of
General Hemeti's trip to Moscow on the eve of Russia's invasion of
Ukraine. I firmly believe that our investments in Africa should be
because we wish to pursue strong relations for their own sake. However,
I also believe that we must help our friends and partners on the
continent counter malign influence.
What efforts is USAID currently making to counter Russian malign
influence in Africa, and how do you plan to build on these efforts
through the budget request?
Answer. The Kremlin is attempting to exert malign influence in many
countries in Africa, but environments characterized by weak, sometimes
illegitimate government, a shaky media environment, and a lack of
transparency over natural resources are especially vulnerable. USAID
currently includes programs such as those supporting democracy, human
rights, and governance (DRG) that address a number of the
vulnerabilities that Russia can take advantage of in selected contexts.
In Africa, USAID rule of law and anti-corruption activities
strengthen independent anti-corruption mechanisms at the national and
regional levels; strengthen judiciaries; foster open, transparent, and
competitive markets; encourage clear, stable, and fair enabling
environments for economic growth; and strengthen investigative
journalism and civil society oversight. Russian private military
companies like Wagner often negotiate non-competitive contracts while
simultaneously providing security to prop up African leaders. USAID's
programs help to limit Russia's ability to execute non-transparent
contract terms and pursue corrupt deals; thereby constraining their
influence.
In addition, USAID promotes legal, responsible mineral supply
chains in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), improves
compliance with the Kimberley Process to reduce the risk that illicit
trade fuels conflict and corruption in the Central African Republic
(CAR), and supports transparency and accountability of mining royalties
in the DRC and Zimbabwe.
USAID counters the use of digital authoritarianism, in which a
repressive government controls the internet and uses censorship,
surveillance, and data/media laws or regulations to restrict or repress
freedom of expression, association, religion, and peaceful assembly at
scale, through helping to improve the digital security of implementing
partners, independent journalists, human rights defenders, and civil
society activists. USAID also works to ensure that adequate legislation
exists and is enforced to promote internet freedom that protects human
rights on and offline. USAID builds African partner country capacity to
counter disinformation and propaganda that weakens democratic
institutions and social cohesion by building the capacity of local
NGOs, media organizations, and technology companies to identify and
neutralize disinformation before it is amplified. This includes
capacity strengthening for media organizations to provide professional,
trusted news and information, while also strengthening financial
sustainability that ensures editorial independence. USAID also invests
in targeted media and digital literacy programming.
An example is USAID's work with local media organizations in CAR to
promote responsible journalism. The goal of these efforts is to
increase peaceful democratic participation in a context where social
and religious divisions, mistrust, and rumors have fueled years of
conflict. Also in CAR, USAID developed a hate-speech lexicon and
equipped community leaders with tools to monitor tensions and raised
awareness about hate speech with national-level policy makers to help
them promote tolerance and national reconciliation. USAID stabilization
programming in CAR mitigates key drivers of conflict by strengthening
community capacity to prevent and respond to violence, expanding licit
economic opportunities, and promoting social cohesion through tested
tools such as interreligious dialogue, trauma healing, and support to
local dispute-resolution mechanisms.
In DRC, USAID supports the media sector to promote a more open and
vibrant media sector that contributes to more responsive and
transparent institutions that develop capacity to provide alternative
reporting to counter disinformation. USAID provides support to local
partners in Sudan as they work to increase governmental accountability,
as well as to civil society and the media.
In Sudan, in order to reduce the level of influence that Russia has
gained as a major wheat supplier--which has bolstered its political
power with Sudan's authoritarian leaders--USAID is working to better
empower the Sudanese to meet their own food security demands. It is
critical to develop alternative economic power centers to those
controlled by the Sudanese military. USAID investment in urban food
security and rural livelihoods will address the country's extreme
economic disparities, while providing a bulwark against further
authoritarian capture of livelihoods and private industry, and malign
influencers including Russia. However, while the government is still
controlled by the military, USAID's initial activities will build upon
humanitarian programs, thereby increasing resilience and generating
demand for locally produced goods and services. These activities will
establish the basis upon which the rural economy can be built. If a
political transition moves forward and the security context improves,
these activities will set the stage for greater economic expansion and
connectivity to markets, directly improving food security and job
creation throughout the country and less reliance on Russia.
USAID continues to prioritize DRG programming in Africa in out-year
budgetary requests to continue working with host-country partners on
the key anti-corruption and DRG goals discussed above. Focusing on
enhancing the capabilities of journalists and civil society to promote
transparency and good governance provides sustainability--it ensures
that local actors will continue to pursue such goals well beyond the
length of USAID programming.
Question. Global Energy Security Disruptions: U.S. energy security
is impacted by global energy disruptions abroad--as demonstrated right
now by the impact of the Ukraine crisis on domestic oil and gas prices.
Bolstering energy infrastructure abroad to strengthen our allies'
energy security, in turn, supports U.S. energy security at home.
What happens to U.S. energy security and U.S. leadership when we
underfund U.S. foreign assistance for energy and resilience programs?
Answer. Foreign assistance programming helps our partner countries
achieve their energy sector development objectives through a wide
number of activities, and a critical aspect of this is diversification
of their energy mix. Diversification of fuels and electricity
generation sources and liberalizing energy trade is important to
reducing susceptibility to political and financial coercion by malign
states and building resilience to supply shocks and sharp price
increases. This diversification and liberalization will also soften
rising inflation of most goods and services, all of which require
energy to produce. Energy and resilience programs foreign assistance
programs allow us to improve energy security and energy sector
resilience before a crisis strikes, softening the impact of the crisis
and reducing the likelihood that countries will seek fuel and fiscal
relief from strategic adversaries of the U.S. We expect that greater
energy security and resilience in global markets will also keep overall
prices more stable for U.S. consumers and businesses.
Question. Climate Change: Climate change serves as a threat
multiplier, which exacerbates pre-existing conflict and insecurities.
Given a lack of resources and capacity building to adapt, people in
developing and fragile countries often bear the worst impacts of
climate change, especially marginalized groups and women and girls.
How do you see USAID advancing U.S. leadership on climate change in
conflict-affected and fragile states like Ukraine where climate change
is a threat multiplier?
Answer. USAID is working closely with the interagency, and
specifically the Departments of Defense and State, to better prepare
for and address the nexus of climate change and conflict in
international settings. USAID's new Climate Strategy includes a focus
on embedding conflict-sensitivity across all of our climate efforts.
USAID also supports working in conflict-vulnerable geographies with
complex contexts to address conflict, insecurity, and structural
governance challenges related to climate change. The new Climate
Strategy includes a focus on utilizing principles of environmental
peacebuilding and the inclusion of marginalized populations to advance
equitable resource sharing and management that both mitigate conflict
risk and increase climate resilience.
USAID is co-leading on two important whole-of-government efforts:
the Global Fragility Act (GFA) and the President's Emergency Plan for
Adaptation and Resilience (PREPARE). These initiatives are designed to
bring together the diplomatic, development, and technical expertise of
the United States to decrease fragility and support resilience by
building capacity in developing countries to better prepare for and
respond to the causes of food, water, and economic insecurity. The GFA
will consider the secondary effects of climate change that include
displacement, loss of livelihoods, weakened governments, and in some
cases political instability and conflict. PREPARE focuses explicitly on
helping developing countries adapt to the current and future impacts of
climate change.
USAID's Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance (BHA) emergency and
disaster risk reduction activities support the active engagement and
leadership of women and girls, youth, people with disabilities, LGBTQI+
and Indigenous Peoples to help communities recover from and build
resilience to crises. USAID recognizes that engaging these groups is an
essential part of the solution to the climate crisis and that these
populations have valuable knowledge and skills that make them powerful
change agents in designing and implementing climate solutions that
benefit all people.
USAID's Bureau of Democracy, Development, and Innovation (DDI),
Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment Hub (GenDev) commissioned
research on the nexus between gender inequality, state fragility, and
climate vulnerability. The report demonstrates the positive correlation
for these indicators and concludes that work to combat the climate-
conflict nexus must adopt a gender transformative approach to ensure
sustainable results.
DDI/GenDev is leveraging the GEEA Fund to support gender
integration into activities in countries that rank high for the triple
nexus of gender inequality, state fragility, and climate vulnerability.
Importantly, this work recognizes a need for interventions at the
systemic and interpersonal level in order to reduce gender inequality
and gender-based violence, while also ensuring the meaningful
participation of women and girls in peacebuilding and climate action.
Question. Yemen: Yemen has been described as one of the worst
humanitarian crises in the world. Seven years of conflict have
displaced more than 4 million people and the U.N. World Food Program
has assessed that 17.4 million people are facing food insecurity.
To what extent is U.S. or international aid able to reach those who
need it? Given difficulties accessing many parts of the country, how
does the USAID measure the impact of assistance?
Many have argued that the recent U.N.-led truce will present aid
agencies with a significant opportunity to scale up life-saving
humanitarian assistance. How was this truce impacted USAID's
operations, what challenges remain to providing aid, and how can the
U.S. Government use this window of peace to help support U.N.-led
efforts to promote increased recovery and growth?
Answer. To date, the United States remains one of the single
largest donors to the humanitarian response in Yemen jointly through
USAID and State, providing over $4.5 billion since the conflict began,
and over $584 million in Fiscal Year (FY) 2022 alone. U.S. humanitarian
assistance is channeled through non-governmental organizations (NGO)
and United Nations (UN) partners who operate across both southern and
northern Yemen, and has been ongoing since the start of the conflict in
2015. This assistance responds to urgent needs throughout the country,
providing health, nutrition, water and sanitation, protection, shelter,
humanitarian coordination, and emergency food assistance to Yemen's
most vulnerable populations, 70 percent of whom require some form of
humanitarian assistance, amidst ongoing conflict and the country's
economic deterioration. Despite the many challenges faced in Yemen,
USAID provides up to 8 million people per month with emergency food
assistance and other basic services. Additionally, State/PRM-supported
programming reached over 51,000 refugees and displaced persons with
cash assistance to assist with basic household needs as of April 2022.
The direct provision of humanitarian assistance by USAID partners
on the ground is assessed and measured through routine monitoring by an
independent monitoring agency, contracted by USAID, who reviews the
impact of USAID's assistance and ensures that assistance reaches its
intended beneficiaries. Furthermore, USAID remotely monitors all
programming in Yemen through monthly and quarterly programmatic and
financial reporting, frequent meetings with partners, remote
monitoring, and close coordination and consultation with other donors
who are able to visit Yemen in-person. Additionally, in the south,
USAID partners are able to provide effective monitoring and oversight
of activities to ensure that U.S. taxpayer-funded aid reaches those in
need for whom it is intended. In the north, all USAID partners have
secured the necessary agreements to enable them to implement without
undue interference.
Recognizing the unique challenges that come with delivering
humanitarian assistance in Yemen, USAID, along with our humanitarian
partners and other donors, continues to advocate for the Houthis and
the authorities in the south to enable unimpeded and sustained access
to people in need across the entire country.
The 2-month truce that began on April 2 has had a positive impact
on the humanitarian response in Yemen, including USAID's operations.
Since the truce started, reduced fighting has started to improve access
to people in need, and the increased flow of fuel and goods is
supporting humanitarian operations, particularly in northern Yemen.
USAID partners have reported a slight easing of bureaucratic
restrictions on access, enabling one partner to conduct needs
assessments in an area previously inaccessible due to conflict and
identifying additional internally displaced persons (IDP) in need.
Other impacts include increased food distributions in previously
militarized areas and increased access by protection teams to areas
previously inaccessible. USAID partner the United Nations World Food
Program (WFP) reported that more fuel is being received in the Hudaydah
ports, and while fuel shortages continue in the north, WFP is seeing
shorter queues at petrol stations. While some positive outcomes have
occurred, challenges remain with the ability of USAID partner
organizations to access and provide services in IDP camps as well as in
informal sites that house displaced persons, particularly in northern
Yemen. USAID recognizes that this stage of the truce is fragile, and
gains are easily reversible. While the humanitarian situation in Yemen
remains dire, this reprieve makes clear that real, sustained change can
only be achieved with a political solution to the crisis, including a
permanent truce.
Question. Syria: Eleven years on, the conflict in Syria still has
no clear end in sight. The U.N. estimates that 12 million people
countrywide are experiencing acute food insecurity, while an additional
1.9 million people are at risk of becoming food insecure.
What are the priorities for the $125 million request for Economic
Support Funds for Syria?
Answer. U.S. stabilization activities are vital to preventing the
resurgence of terrorist groups, expanding humanitarian access, keeping
violence levels low, promoting accountability for the Assad regime's
atrocities, and supporting an inclusive political solution to the
conflict consistent with UN Security Council Resolution 2254.
With these funds, USAID will contribute to the enduring defeat of
ISIS by restoring essential services such as refurbishing electrical
grids and addressing growing food insecurity through targeted
agricultural interventions; reviving local economies by attracting
private sector investment, creating an enabling environment for growth,
and facilitating livelihoods; strengthening local governance so that
local authorities can better respond to community needs, including
those of returnees and internally displaced persons' (IDP) needs; and
responding to the COVID-19 pandemic and its secondary and tertiary
effects on local communities.
Question. How has USAID programming changed to meet the
increasingly acute food insecurity needs in Syria, particularly in
light of Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the resulting impact on
global food security?
Answer. Even before the Russian invasion of Ukraine, food
insecurity in Syria was rising, and the effects of the Ukraine conflict
have only worsened the situation given Syria's heavy reliance on food
imports, including wheat from Russia and Ukraine and the impact
Russia's war has had on global food markets and energy trade. USAID's
humanitarian programming in Syria has been negatively affected by
rising food and fuel prices.
The UN's World Food Program (WFP) commodity price monitoring in 75
markets across Syria's 14 governorates indicates that food prices in
Syria have already increased as a result of the Ukraine conflict. In
March, the national average price of WFP's standard reference food
basket--the cost for a group of essential food commodities, including
bread, lentils, rice, sugar, and oil--was 24 percent higher than in
February and 59 percent higher than in March 2021, representing the
highest prices since WFP began commodity monitoring in Syria in 2013.
USAID's humanitarian partners are working to diversify procurement
source and origin countries for critical food commodities and wheat due
to these impacts, particularly on regional markets such as Turkey, the
primary regional humanitarian food procurement hub. Turkey's wheat
market is dependent on imports from Russia and Ukraine, importing 78
percent of its wheat from these countries.
Due to the increasing food prices in Syria, USAID's NGO partners'
cash and voucher assistance is covering a reduced percentage of monthly
food needs. WFP, USAID's largest partner in Syria, has also reduced
food rations across Syria as a result of funding constraints amid
increasing global food prices and supply-chain disruptions resulting
from Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Starting in May, the kilocalorie
(kCal) content of WFP food rations is now only 1,177 kcal per person in
northwest Syria and 995 kCal per person in other parts of the country,
except in camps, where food rations will be maintained at the full
2,018 kCal per person. The kCal reduction is due in part to the removal
of chickpeas and sugar from the ration amid limited supply and high
prices of these commodities on the global market. WFP warns of
potential beneficiary roll cuts and that an additional nearly 2 million
Syrians may become food-insecure in coming months absent mitigation
measures and additional funding; already, 12 million Syrians are
acutely food-insecure.
Growing food insecurity in northeast Syria undermines gains made in
the fight against ISIS, and is a security concern in addition to a
humanitarian one. Through stabilization assistance, USAID supports
agricultural production and other related sectors impacted by it in
non-regime held areas of northeast Syria, including areas with
vulnerable populations. USAID also works to improve essential services;
to restore infrastructure and local markets, such as bakeries, mills,
and seed sorting facilities; and strengthen local authorities' and
civil society's ability to meet their communities' needs.
Question. Tigray/Ethiopia: As you know, the Ethiopian Government
recently declared a unilateral ceasefire in Tigray region, but the
government has also closed airspace, and bridges on two of the four
main overland routes have been bombed. The government has set up
bureaucratic obstacles to the use of the other routes; just last week,
two UN convoys were prevented from entering Tigray. In effect, the
unilateral ceasefire has reinforced conditions under which the
government can effectively turn humanitarian access to Tigray on and
off like a spigot.
What efforts are underway to prevent a humanitarian disaster in
Tigray?
Answer. The crisis in northern Ethiopia remains one of the worst
humanitarian crises in the world. Across the Afar, Amhara, and Tigray
regions, continued fighting and lack of humanitarian access has left as
many as 9 million people facing severe food insecurity and has forced
more than 2.4 million people to flee their homes. In Tigray alone, more
than 90 percent of people need aid, while across all three northern
regions as many as 1 million people are projected to face famine-like
conditions by June.
The United States is the largest donor of humanitarian aid to the
northern Ethiopia response efforts and remains committed to helping all
people in need across Ethiopia. The United States has provided more
than $976 million in humanitarian assistance to northern Ethiopia since
the crisis began in November 2020, including more than $885 million
through USAID.
Unhindered access to those in need of assistance is critical to
addressing the crisis. USAID is engaging with leadership across the
U.S. Government to press the Government of Ethiopia and the Tigray
People's Liberation Front (TPLF) for unhindered humanitarian access,
including not just road access into Tigray, but also movement of cash,
facilitation of flights, access into new displacement sites,
restoration of basic services, and other critical issues across the
response. Recently, USAID has worked on the ground in Afar to engage
regional and local authorities and open road access into Tigray. We
have seen incremental progress in humanitarian access, and the
operation in northern Ethiopia as a whole since the March 24
humanitarian truce. Following nearly 4 months of road access blockages
into Tigray, several humanitarian convoys--comprising more than 250
trucks and fuel tankers--had arrived in Tigray by road as of early May.
Despite these improvements, the amount of assistance moving into Tigray
is still not sufficient to meet humanitarian needs, and access must
continue to improve.
Question. During the last week of June, three Doctors Without
Borders aid workers were killed in Tigray and other NGOs on the ground
report being deliberately targeted for harassment and violence.
What measures is USAID taking to protect its partners and personnel
operating in Tigray?
Answer. The northern Ethiopia conflict is among the most dangerous
in the world for humanitarian workers; 25 humanitarians have been
killed since the start of the conflict in November 2020.
Humanitarians face attacks, vilification, harassment, and
intimidation by various parties to the conflict, and yet they remain
dedicated to helping others. In Tigray, some are doing this without
receiving pay because of the cash shortages, and all are working with
dwindling resources that are needed for safe aid operations and their
personal well-being and safety, including fuel, telecommunications, and
banking services. USAID continues to advocate for the restoration of
basic services and movement of cash and other essential supplies needed
to enable humanitarian actors to operate effectively and safely.
The safety of aid workers is paramount. USAID and its partners have
continued to reiterate the call to respect the neutrality and
independence of aid workers and humanitarian operations in northern
Ethiopia so that life-saving aid can be delivered to those in dire
need.
USAID requires every NGO partner to submit a comprehensive safety
and security plan with each proposal. These plans must demonstrate an
in-depth analysis of the range of threats they may face, identify their
organization's specific vulnerabilities, and outline a mitigation
strategy and contingency plans that will keep their staff as safe as
possible. In addition to the physical well-being of partner staff,
USAID continues to stress the importance of ensuring the provision of
psychosocial support services to first responders--recognizing that
many have themselves been displaced or otherwise subject to attacks and
other stressful conditions.
Question. Children with Disabilities: Millions of children with
disabilities across the globe are placed in residential institutions,
often due to prejudice, stigma, and lack of support for families with
children with disabilities. In Ukraine, more than 100,000 children were
living in institutions before the war. A recent report by Disability
Rights International (DRI), shows that children with disabilities are
now being left behind in crowded, unsafe conditions in residential
institutions in Ukraine and are often not included in national or
international humanitarian response plans.
How will this budget enable USAID to provide support children with
disabilities around the world as well as their families? Specifically,
how will USAID use this budget, in partnership with the Ukraine
supplemental, to help ensure that children with disabilities in
institutions are being identified, evacuated, and being fully included
in relief efforts in Ukraine?
When the time comes to rebuild Ukraine, how will USAID work to
strengthen families of children with disabilities and create
opportunities for children to stay with their families rather than
focusing on rebuilding Ukraine's extensive residential institution and
orphanage system for children, whenever possible?
Answer. Since the start of the war in Ukraine, the U.S. Government
has provided substantial humanitarian assistance, which has helped to
identify and address the different needs of women, children, persons
with disabilities and older persons, and provide them with suitable and
accessible health services.
When the time comes to rebuild Ukraine, USAID's work will be guided
by the U.S. Government Strategy, Advancing Protection and Care for
Children in Adversity (APCCA) (https://www.childreninadversity.gov/).
The second of its three objectives is to ``Put Family First'' by
enabling children with disabilities and all children to remain in or
return to nurturing, loving, protective, and permanent family care.
APCCA aims to support the most vulnerable children who are, or are at
risk of, living outside of family care by promoting, funding, and
supporting systems for prevention of family separation, family
reintegration, support, and strengthening. APCCA calls for evidence-
based action to develop national systems to enable all children to live
in family care. For children with disabilities, this would require
developing a range of support and rehabilitation services to enable
them not only to live with their families, but to develop their full
potential, to be in and part of their communities, and to attend
mainstream schools.
In keeping with APCCA, USAID will focus on family strengthening
measures to prevent children's separation from their families and
support family reintegration or placement in other family based care.
This may include developing services to support kinship care and foster
care. Such a future is possible, but it would take firm and long-term
commitment on the part of the Ukrainian Government and its development
partners to reform its care system to support family care for all
children.
Question. Overseas Equity Strategies: The 2022-26 Joint State-USAID
Strategic Plan states: ``The Department of State and USAID will further
equity, inclusion, accessibility, support for human rights, and
resilience of marginalized peoples, including individuals from
marginalized racial, ethnic, indigenous, and religious communities,
persons with disabilities, LGBTQI+ individuals, women, and older
persons, by improving and adapting policy, public diplomacy, foreign
assistance, and humanitarian aid.''
What efforts and resources are being planned to implement and
institutionalize this strategic objective? Should we be expecting
additional staffing, multi-year funding, and other budget proposals to
support these efforts?
How will USAID funding be coordinated and equitably distributed to
ensure sufficient staffing and resources, and to prevent competition
between different regions and marginalized populations in the
implementation of equity work?
Answer. USAID has identified several staffing needs to address
these priorities, including a need to fill important management roles
and technical leadership on racial and ethnic equity. USAID continues
to fill staffing gaps in areas where dedicated resources are available
through institutional support contractors.
USAID budget proposals seek to expand support for programming that
will elevate the rights and inclusion of marginalized people. USAID
intends to launch two new ``support mechanisms'' for Missions and DC-
based Operating Units to assess the needs of, engage with, and support
the priorities of marginalized groups. The two mechanisms will: 1)
provide technical assistance to Missions to improve programs to be more
inclusive of and equitable toward marginalized groups, including
racial, ethnic and religious minorities, and 2) provide direct support
to civil society organizations that are run for and by marginalized
groups. At least one mechanism will be awarded by the end of the
current fiscal year.
USAID is working to increase the size and scope of inclusive
development training to build capacity of its own staff, and to make
relevant materials available to organizations implementing USAID
programming. USAID has developed an expansive ``inclusive development
training suite'' with both in-person and virtual options. Several
trainings centered on specific marginalized groups (e.g., LGBTQI+
people, persons with disabilities, Indigenous Peoples, non-dominant
racial and ethnic groups) are also either already available for staff
or are in development.
USAID is working to update several of its policy documents to
reflect administration priorities on inclusion and equity, often
providing public comment periods and always doing consultations with
Congress during their development. The 2022 Youth In Development policy
was released in early May. Efforts are ongoing to update the Agency's
Disability Policy, the 2014 LGBT Vision for Action, and the 2020 Gender
Equality And Women's Empowerment Policy. Additionally, USAID is
updating its guidance framework on engaging with marginalized and/or
underrepresented groups in programs and activities, ``Suggested
Approaches for Integrating Inclusive Development Across the Program
Cycle and in Mission Operations.''
Question. Inclusive Development Advisor: USAID has announced a goal
of designating an inclusive development advisor in every overseas
mission by 2023.
What resources are available or has USAID requested to fund this
goal?
Answer. In the FY 2022 Operating Expense Appropriation, USAID
received an additional $128 million to fund the hiring of 130 new
Foreign Service Officers and 120 Civil Service officers. These funds
will be used to address a number of Agency priorities, but an
especially critical use will be to deepen the pool of available human
resources with the capacity to advance gender equality and inclusive
development.
While, to date, USAID has not requested funds specifically
dedicated to meet this goal, we have made several important strides
using existing resources. USAID is currently exploring ways to expand
Mission and Regional/Pillar Bureau staff levels of effort dedicated to
advancing gender equality and inclusive development, including a
possible sub-specialty in Foreign Service backstops. USAID is expanding
competencies required for Foreign Service Officers and Foreign Service
Nationals who serve as Program Officers to include specific gender and
inclusive development skills and abilities, and widening the number of
people in the Agency with gender and inclusive development expertise.
Additionally, a pool of Foreign Service Nationals with extensive gender
and inclusive development experience are already working in USAID
Missions. USAID hopes to expand the number of Foreign Service Nationals
and Foreign Service Officers that can serve as gender advisors,
inclusive development advisors, or gender and inclusive development
champions, depending on their level of expertise.
Question. Democracy Dividend in Africa: While democratic
backsliding has become an alarming trend around the world--particularly
in Africa, which has seen multiple coups in the past 2 years--several
countries have made laudable progress towards strengthening democracy.
Zambia and Niger are two notable examples of this, both having held
successful elections that defied the trend toward authoritarianism seen
elsewhere. However, both countries still face serious challenges. The
United States should make every effort to reward and support countries
that take meaningful steps toward democracy, in the form of a democracy
dividend that surges assistance and engagement to new democracies.
Do you agree with the idea of a democracy dividend?
What has USAID done to surge support to countries like Zambia,
Niger, Malawi, and the Gambia, and how does the budget propose continue
such support in the coming fiscal year?
Answer. We do agree that democracy, on balance, brings outsized
material and economic benefits to populations. Democracies are more
likely to respect human rights, invest in public goods, and limit
corruption (particularly when there is a freer press and as democracy
deepens). Their economic growth rates are on par with those of
dictatorships, but the growth they produce is of higher quality, with
steadier patterns and with gains more likely to benefit citizens, as
reflected in education, health, and life expectancy. The gains of
democracy increase as levels of democracy increase. According to V-Dem,
often considered the gold standard for democracy research: \1\
Transition to democracy increases life expectancy by 3
percent within 10 years of regime change.
A high level of democracy leads to 94 percent lower infant
mortality compared to dictatorships.
Democracies with vibrant vertical accountability provide 23
percent more safe water access, 35 percent more immunization to
young children, and up to 40 percent more electricity access,
than autocracies.
Democracies provides citizens 300 percent more internet
connectivity, on average, than autocracies.
Democracy with strong vertical accountability mechanisms
diminishes corruption.
USAID works under the assumption that democracies do deliver better
services, protect human rights, reduce corruption, and foster healthy
political competition, and economic growth. Democracy underpins and
supports USAID development objectives.
When presented with democratic openings it is important that the
U.S. Government works quickly to marshal available resources to not
only help consolidate democratic progress, but also support partner
governments as they work to demonstrate to citizens that democracy
delivers in concrete ways for their lives by providing security,
accountability for past and ongoing wrongs, and improving livelihoods
through development programming. In countries like Zambia, Niger,
Malawi, The Gambia, and others, USAID works with governments on their
priority reform agendas in areas such as anti-corruption, health,
education, and economic growth in an effort to help demonstrate a
democratic dividend that delivers in visible ways for citizens. USAID
does likewise in other regions when democratic openings occur, as we
have seen recently in countries like Moldova, Armenia, Ecuador, Nepal,
and the Dominican Republic.
When such openings exist, USAID has mobilized both technical and
financial support through flexible funds at both the regional and the
central levels, including rapid response and centralized resources that
can cover a wide range of development sectors. Crucially, USAID's
single largest program announced at the Summit for Democracy focuses
specifically on surging flexible support to countries experiencing
democratic openings, in return for commitments by the relevant
government to take forward key reforms inclusively and democratically.
The program is called Partnerships for Democratic Development, and as
it comes online, it will be a cornerstone of the Presidential
Initiative for Democratic Renewal.
More generally, USAID continues to prioritize Democracy, Human
Rights and Governance (DRG) programming in out-year budget requests,
including FY 2023. Further, sustainability and the training of local
partners is a key aspect of USAID DRG programming, ensuring that
programmatic gains are maintained beyond the length of the program
through skilled and well-trained, in-country organizations and
individuals. Additionally, USAID actively coordinates with other donors
in the DRG space, avoiding duplication and overlap and maximizing value
of finite DRG funds.
----------------
Note
\1\ V-Dem: The Case for Democracy (https://www.v-dem.net/
casefordemocracy.html)
______
Responses of Ms. Samantha Power to Questions
Submitted by Senator James E. Risch
Question. Presence and Risk Management: Effective diplomacy and
development cannot be conducted from behind the walls of a compound.
The agency needs to take a more forward leaning approach towards risk
management and prioritize getting staff out from behind desks in home
offices, returned to the field, fully engaged with local partners and
beneficiaries, and conducting direct oversight of its programs and
operations.
Do you believe that the Agency's current risk tolerance in medium-
to-high-threat posts is appropriately tailored? Do you believe that it
should be improved, and if so, how? What will you do to bring about
that improvement?
What is the status of overseas staff in light of the COVID-19
pandemic?
Have all overseas staff returned to the office and to the field?
What is the status of headquarters staff? Has everyone returned to
the office?
Answer. We agree that staff's ability to be in the field and
engaged with partners and communities is optimal and support that
objective whenever security and safety conditions permit. We also
prioritize the safety of our staff first in all contexts and work with
our Regional Security Officers and Diplomatic Security at post to
facilitate engagement with development actors, host governments, local
partners, and beneficiaries through regular meetings and site visits.
The status of overseas staff depends upon the security and health
conditions in the countries where they are posted. Many posts report
being fully back in the office. A smaller number of posts, where COVID-
19 is currently surging, are on some amount of regular or full-time
telework. USAID's Foreign Service Officers (FSOs) and other personnel
have been reporting to their assigned posts ever since Global
Authorized Departure (GAD) ended on September 9, 2020.
At USAID Headquarters in Washington, DC, pandemic-ordered telework
ends on May 21, 2022. According to the Agency's Future of Work (FoW)
Framework, there will be two workplace categories: telework and remote
work. Telework-eligible positions include job duties that can be
conducted outside of the worksite without affecting service quality,
adding additional costs, or negatively affecting team productivity.
Telework-eligible positions are also subdivided by the number of
telework days that position can utilize per pay period based on its job
duties. Remote work-eligible positions do not require frequent in-
office presence, close supervision or training, consistent in-person
customer service, and/or recurring access to special facilities or
classified materials. Employees whose position is designated as
telework-eligible will be expected to return to the office in
accordance with their agreed upon work schedule beginning on May 23,
2022.
On May 13, 2022, the Agency issued an Executive Message on New
Telework and Remote Work Agreement and Updated Mandatory Telework
Training Requirement for Domestic USDH Employees and Domestic USPSCs,
indicating that all domestic USDH employees must have a telework,
remote work, or opt-out agreement approved by their supervisor prior to
June 3, 2022, before authorized to telework or remote work for any
reason.
Question. Anomalous Health Incidents (AHIs): After years of being
the interagency laggard in providing care for victims of AHIs, the
State Department has finally caught up to the other departments and
agencies whose employees have been affected by AHIs. Unfortunately,
USAID personnel also have suffered from AHIs, yet they do not have the
access to care that their State Department colleagues have.
What is the Agency currently doing to provide care for AHI victims?
What more could the Agency do to provide care for AHI victims?
Has the State Department followed through on commitments to assist
USAID personnel in getting access to care that they need and deserve?
Answer. The issue of Anomalous Health Incidents (AHI) continues to
be a priority for our Agency, in particular, the efforts to protect and
care for our personnel and uncover the cause of these incidents. I met
with a group of USAID staff affected by AHI several months ago, and we
continue to urge all staff potentially affected to report their
experience and we assist them with care.
To ensure care for our staff, USAID designated the Deputy
Administrator for Management and Resources to oversee efforts across
USAID to support staff reporting AHIs and to coordinate requirements
across the interagency. USAID established a process for staff to report
potential AHI experiences, and provides AHI awareness training to all
new staff.
USAID is providing support through our newly created position of
the Chief Medical Officer as well as our outstanding Staff Care unit.
We have enabled access to clinical evaluation of neurological symptoms
of unknown origin for all who have requested them, initially through
the State Department agreements with local hospitals, and currently
through the Department of Defense as mandated in the National Defense
Authorization Act.
We continue to work with the State Department's Health Incident
Response Task Force (HIRTF) to align our approaches for support and
compensation where warranted by the HAVANA Act as well as Workers
Compensation. In addition to assisting USAID with the care coordination
for staff, USAID leverages State Department's voluntary baseline
screening program available for all personnel and eligible family
members 18 years of age or older who will be traveling for temporary
duty (TDY) or posted at an overseas assignment.
Question. Staffing: As I stated last year, USAID's most valuable
asset is its people. Unfortunately, with at least 22 different hiring
mechanisms and outdated assumptions about how specific missions,
bureaus, and offices should be supported, the agency is in desperate
need of a modernized strategic staffing plan that is flexible and
adaptive to today's challenges. The budget request includes an increase
for USAID's operating expenses and proposes to increase the number of
program-funded positions, including for global health and humanitarian
assistance.
When will we see a comprehensive strategic staffing plan that
aligns positions, skills, and resources across the agency,
transparently and effectively streamlines hiring mechanisms, and
reduces reliance upon costly institutional contracts and Participating
Agency Service Agreements (PASAs)?
Will the proposed increase in direct-hire positions be paired with
a decrease in contractors?
Answer. The Global Development Partnership Initiative (GDPI) is
USAID's multi-year effort to address staffing needs by revitalizing the
USDH workforce in line with the Administration's priorities and
National Security Memorandum 3. Through GDPI, USAID will build a
responsive and resilient workforce by increasing the size and diversity
of the permanent career workforce and providing flexibility to hire
non-career direct hire staff. Workforce expansion will focus on climate
change, democracy and anti-corruption expertise, global health
security, national security, operational management (procurement, human
resources, financial management, and information technology), and a
more permanent humanitarian assistance workforce.
Over the multi-year trajectory, USAID will create an additional
1,230 positions to reach a permanent workforce level of 4,750 USDHs.
This represents increases of 620 Foreign Service (FS) and 610 Civil
Service (CS) positions for permanent workforce levels of 2,500 FS and
2,250 CS.
At the end of FY 2021, USAID completed a successful hiring surge to
reach prior appropriated staffing levels of 1,850 Foreign Service (FS)
and 1,600 Civil Service (CS) positions. With FY 2022 Operating Expense
funding, the Agency was able to jumpstart GDPI, with the goal of
creating 100 new FS and 80 new CS positions in FY 2022. If Congress
provides USAID with the Operating Expenses funding required to reach
these staffing levels of 2,500 FS and 2,250 CS, use of other hiring
mechanisms would decrease, but would not be eliminated.
USAID is currently evaluating its overseas workforce planning
efforts that have been used as a starting point for decisions on the
allocation of Foreign Service Officers (FSOs) overseas. The Agency has
also developed models for CS and FS staffing in Washington and is about
to begin the final round of consultations within the Agency to finalize
these two models. While all three of the models allocate FS and CS, the
overseas model also considers local staff capacity including Foreign
Service Nationals (FSNs). When creating these models, the Agency
analyzed how other hiring mechanisms could be considered in future
iterations. USAID is also making improvements in its data analytics and
tools for the entire Agency, which will help Bureaus, Independent
Offices (B/IOs) and Missions improve their ability to undertake
workforce planning.
USAID has already decreased the number of Participating Agency
Service Agreements (PASAs) from over 300 to under 100 over a 2-year
timeframe.
Some of the increase in direct-hire positions would be off-set by a
decrease in contractors, particularly in bureaus such as the Bureau for
Humanitarian Assistance (BHA) where the Agency has long had to rely on
contracted positions to fulfill long-term institutional roles that
should be carried out by Direct Hires. However, in other areas, USAID
is not appropriately staffed to meet requirements, regardless of
mechanism. In these cases additional direct-hire positions would come
in addition to other staffing mechanisms currently performing the work.
Question. Partners: Through the New Partners Initiative, USAID aims
to direct 25 percent of the foreign assistance it administers toward
local organizations by 2025. Given the size, scope and complexity of
USAID's largest programs, including the NextGen Health Supply Chain
program, hitting that target while maintaining appropriate transparency
and accountability will prove difficult.
What is the status of the New Partners Initiative?
Are you on track to hit the 25 percent target by 2025?
When you set out your vision for ``localization'' in November 2021,
you indicated that you might need new or amended authorities to achieve
your goal. Is this still the case and, if so, what new or amended
authorities have you requested?
Answer. The New Partnerships Initiative (NPI) was re-launched in
2019 and institutionalized under the Development, Democracy, and
Innovation Bureau (DDI) in late 2020, where it has continued to provide
technical assistance in support of the Agency's efforts to partner with
new, nontraditional, and local partners. NPI currently supports
Missions in 30 countries. Missions have made NPI awards representing
more than $400 million to approximately 60 partners since 2019. NPI is
part of USAID's broader commitment to ensuring greater levels of
locally-led development across all of its programming, but it is not
wholly localization-focused (i.e. a new partner may be a US-based
entity).
The 25 percent target is an Agency-wide goal. USAID envisions that
each Mission or Operating Unit (OU) will assess their unique operating
environment, recognizing that the approach to locally-directed funding
may be different based on country context and a program's sectoral
focus (e.g., education, health, housing, etc.). Many Missions already
direct more than 25 percent of their funding to local partners, but the
majority of our Missions and OUs will need to increase funding to local
entities for USAID to reach the global 25 percent level. Missions
across the Agency are now taking steps to increase their portfolios of
local partnerships. Added funding flexibility for Missions to invest in
local capacity strengthening is key to accomplishing the 25 percent
local funding goal.
Expanding USAID's local partnerships will require Missions to issue
and manage a larger number of lower dollar value awards, to local
partners who often do not have previous experience working with the
Agency. This will require a higher level of USAID staff time and
support. USAID is working to increase staff capacity, in particular
Acquisition and Assistance professionals, to manage the larger number
of awards and anticipates significant progress toward achieving the 25
percent target.
USAID is exploring whether additional legal authorities are
required to advance our localization goals.
Question. The Small Business Administration has set an annual
target (for several departments and agencies) that 3 percent of all
agency funds should go to service disabled veteran-owned small
businesses (SDVOSBs). USAID has consistently missed that target by a
very wide margin, averaging around 0.5 percent over the past several
years.
Are you aware of this issue?
What is preventing USAID from reaching the 3 percent target?
How, if at all, does the 3 percent SDVOSB target relate to the New
Partners Initiative, which seeks to diversify USAID's partner base by
lowering barriers to entry for ``non-traditional'' implementing
partners, including local actors, small businesses, faith-based and
civil society organizations, cooperatives, and diaspora groups?
Answer. USAID is aware that we have not met the SDVOSB goals in
many years and the Agency continues to look for ways to improve. We
have considerably increased our efforts to partner with SDVOSB in
fiscal year 2022 and have expanded our reach to SDVOSB resource
partners. The intended result is to turn this trend around and begin to
see greater increases in our SDVOSB achievements. Despite missing our
SDVOSB goal, we have increased our annual contract obligations in the
last three fiscal years, increasing from $21 million (FY 2019) to $30
million (FY 2020) to $33 million (FY 2021). USAID currently has 11
SDVOSB contract awards totaling $147,242,195. We fully intend to
continue on this upward trajectory and surpass our prior years'
results.
USAID is seeking to improve upon acquisition planning practices to
ensure SDVOSB are both targeted and invited to compete for USAID
contracting opportunities based on their capabilities. This includes
identifying more work that aligns with SDVOSB predominant contracting
capabilities.
Meeting the 3 percent SDVOSB target is part of a broader Agency
effort to expand and improve our partnerships. One key component of
this effort is the Agency's New Partnerships Initiative (NPI), which
seeks to diversify USAID's partner base by lowering barriers to entry
for new and nontraditional implementing partners, including local
actors, U.S. small businesses, faith-based and civil society
organizations, cooperatives, and diaspora groups. While USAID is
committed to lowering barriers for all partner groups, we recognize
that we must address the specific barriers faced by U.S. small
businesses, local partners, and private sector partners. These groups
are underrepresented in USAID's partner base, despite efforts over the
past several years to expand USAID's partnerships with new, local, and
small business partners through initiatives such as NPI. Another way we
are working to address the need to diversify the partner base is by
refreshing the Agency's Acquisition and Assistance Strategy and
implementation plan. Additionally, NPI supported the creation of the
WorkwithUSAID.org resource hub, where current and prospective partners
are encouraged to register their organizations in a Partner Directory,
boost their visibility to the Agency, and enable them to identify
potential partners to collaborate with who may be operating in related
sectors or regions. Significantly, the Partner Directory can be
filtered by type of organization, allowing visitors to the site (as
well as USAID staff) to sort a list of all self-identified service
disabled veteran-owned businesses that operate in a particular region.
WorkwithUSAID.org also includes a Pre-Engagement Assessment for
partners to understand their ability to pursue USAID funding, and
received a customized report to learn what steps they can take to
enhance their readiness.
The Agency's Industry Liaison serves as the front door for all
organizations seeking partnership with the Agency. This team promotes
WorkwithUSAID.org and other opportunities for current and prospective
partners to engage with USAID through a variety of social media
channels, including LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
Additionally, the Agency hosts virtual events for partners to learn
about USAID and ask questions. Finally, the Industry Liaison team
coordinates the Agency's Business Forecast, which provides an advanced
look at all USAID funding opportunities around the world. The Forecast
is updated daily at usaid.gov/business-forecast, pulling from our
internal planning systems. The Forecast helps to create a level playing
field by actively communicating all of USAID's upcoming funding
opportunities before any proposals or applications are due.
USAID seeks to increase its collaboration with new SDVOSB resource
partners and extend our reach to the SDVOSB community. Presently, we
are collaborating with Vet Force, a 5,000 members association of
veteran-owned small businesses, the American Legion with 1.6 million
members chartered and incorporated by the U.S. Congress, and the
Veterans Institute of Procurement (VIP) to attempt to reach new
partners. Each of these partners have a rigorous tiered membership
program to assist veteran owned small businesses in preparing to do
business with the Government.
USAID also participated in outreach events to increase our new
partner base, including with the American Legion (May 2022), Veterans
Institute of Procurement (June 2022), the Federal Business Council,
Inc's sponsored annual Government Procurement Conference (June 2022),
and the National 8(a) Association's Regional Conference (June 2022).
Each of these events were targeted to reach SDBs which include SDVOSBs.
OSDBU is also sponsored roundtable discussions with current and
prospective SDVOSBs and industry days in June and July aimed at
increasing our SDB reach which includes SDVOSB. In May 2022 OSDBU
launched a live virtual overseas training pilot program that extended
and expanded our Agency's procurement knowledge on Government
contracting assistance programs that assist SDVOSB. Also, OSDBU is both
leading and participating in outreach activities such as additional
regional and Washington based live virtual trainings, webinars,
industry days and procurement conferences that will reach more veteran
organizations and educate them on our business opportunities and how to
do business with USAID. Through these efforts USAID will attract more
veteran owned firms and increase its workforce knowledge on how to
support America's veterans through federal procurement.
Question. Global Health: Global Health Security: This committee has
approved bipartisan legislation--the International Pandemic
Preparedness and COVID-19 Response Act--that would establish a
structure for more effective leadership and coordination of U.S.
Government efforts to advance the U.S. global health security overseas,
built upon PEPFAR's proven model. The State Department, USAID, and the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) repeatedly were
consulted on the bill, and relevant technical assistance has been
incorporated.
Given your background as U.S. Permanent Representative to the
United Nations, you surely appreciate the importance of diplomacy. Do
you therefore agree that the U.S. Department of State is best suited to
lead diplomatic efforts to advance U.S. global health security
overseas, including at the country-level?
Answer. USAID agrees on the need to institutionalize global health
security (GHS) as a national security priority and on the importance of
durable structures and coordination processes to advance GHS. The State
Department has an important role to play in the U.S. Government's GHS
efforts, particularly leading diplomatic outreach and coordinating
relationships with foreign and domestic nongovernmental stakeholders.
But the vast majority of the U.S. Government's GHS efforts are managed
principally by USAID and the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention.
USAID continues to support the framework laid out in the November
4, 2016 Executive Order on Advancing the Global Health Security Agenda
to Achieve a World Safe and Secure from Infectious Disease Threats.
This framework relies on the National Security Council (NSC) for
overall global health security coordination and delineates roles and
responsibilities for departments and agencies, while recognizing that
there is more that can be done to strengthen the framework and
institutional capabilities of the implementing agencies. Additionally,
the 2021 National Security Memorandum (NSM) 1, released by the Biden-
Harris administration designated the Assistant to the President on
National Security Affairs to (i) coordinate the Federal Government's
efforts to prepare for, prevent, detect, respond to, and recover from
biological events, and to advance global health security, international
pandemic preparedness, and global health resilience; and (ii)
coordinate the development of priorities for, and elevate United States
leadership and assistance in support of, the Global Health Security
Agenda. Both the 2016 Executive order and the 2021 NSM empower and
recognize the unique role and responsibility of the NSC to provide
policy guidance and strategic coordination to Departments and Agencies
with GHS equities, without interfering in their ability to manage or
coordinate their own budgets.
Question. The bill also provides a roadmap for establishing an
accountable international financing mechanism for pandemic
preparedness. Press reports indicate that planning is advancing
quickly, despite a glaring lack of consultation with Congress. The
President's budget request includes $6.5 billion in mandatory spending,
reportedly to enable a multi-year commitment to this yet-to-be-
consulted-or-established financing mechanism. This is a major departure
from past practice, and it certainly wasn't envisioned in the bill
approved by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
What is the status of efforts to establish an international
financing mechanism for international pandemic preparedness?
Answer. The Department of State is working with USAID to lead the
effort for the U.S. Government to establish the pandemic prevention,
preparedness and response financial intermediary fund (FIF). This is
now moving ahead, with international momentum from allies and
multilateral organizations behind it. On April 20, the G20 reached
consensus on the establishment of a financing mechanism with Indonesia
and committed to finalizing the FIF in June as a key deliverable of
their G20 presidency. On June 30, the World Bank's Board of Executive
Directors approved the establishment of a financial intermediary fund
(FIF) to strengthen pandemic preparedness.. Critically, in addition to
the U.S. pledge of $450 million, additional donors including the
European Commission, Indonesia, Germany, the United Kingdom, Singapore,
the Wellcome Trust pledged funds to support the FIF, with more expected
to be announced in the coming months.
Question. Why would the President request $6.5 billion in mandatory
spending, reportedly to support the establishment of an international
financing mechanism for pandemic preparedness, before knowing how it
will be governed, how and where resources will be targeted, how
progress will be measured, and how implementers will be held
accountable for results?
Answer. The governance structure, resource allocation, and
reporting requirements are in the process of being developed and agreed
upon, and we will be happy to brief you, along with our State
Department and other Administration colleagues.
Question. The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria:
The budget request also includes $2 billion (+$440 million) to support
the first year of an anticipated $6 billion commitment to the Global
Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria (the Global Fund) while
reducing funds available for bilateral tuberculosis programs (^$21.5
million) and the bipartisan, Congressionally-authorized President's
Emergency Program for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) program (^$20 million).
Is it your view that the Global Fund is more efficient and
effective than PEPFAR, the President's Malaria Initiative (PMI), and
USAID's tuberculosis (TB) program, thereby justifying a major shift in
funding, or is it the intent of the Administration that the Global Fund
would take on greater responsibility for procuring related global
health commodities, thereby enabling PEPFAR, PMI, and USAID's TB
programs to focus their shrinking resources on service delivery?
Answer. The $2 billion request is intended to support the Global
Fund's seventh replenishment and will complement, rather than supplant,
our bilateral HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria commitments.
Increasing investments to combat the three diseases is particularly
critical given the detrimental impacts that COVID has had on progress
made against the three diseases. This investment will help spur other
contributions needed to sustain the Global Fund's fight against HIV/
AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria and global health systems strengthening
work. U.S. bilateral funding will continue to deliver impact through
PEPFAR, PMI, and TB programs, leveraging Global Fund resources and
accelerating progress towards our shared goals. USAID appreciates the
increases Congress provided in FY 2022 funding for these three
bilateral programs over the FY 2021 enacted levels.
Question. President's Malaria Initiative (PMI): What is the status
of efforts to appoint a permanent Malaria Coordinator?
Answer. When the U.S. Global Malaria Coordinator position became
vacant on February 7, 2022, the White House, in collaboration with
USAID, initiated the process to identify candidates to be considered
for the next Coordinator. The process is in the final stages, and we
hope to select and announce a candidate as soon as is practical.
Question. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR):
USAID is a leading implementer of U.S. foreign assistance to combat
HIV/AIDS globally, including under the PEPFAR program. Unfortunately,
several USAID missions have struggled to maintain focus on PEPFAR's
core mission and have taken opportunities to divert PEPFAR resources
toward other priority projects with little-to-no connection to
combatting HIV/AIDS.
How are you holding USAID missions accountable for results under
PEPFAR Country Operating Plans (COPs)?
From your perspective, how can the COP process be improved to
ensure robust participation and adherence by USAID field missions?
How are you ensuring that USAID is appropriately leveraging, rather
than duplicating or undercutting, PEPFAR platforms under the Global Vax
Initiative in priority countries, including South Africa?
Answer. Accountability for Results under PEPFAR Operational Plans:
USAID, both at the Washington headquarters and Mission level,
rigorously measures and monitors progress toward Country and Regional
Operational Plan targets. In addition to PEPFAR requirements for
quarterly reporting of performance, quality and financial data, USAID
requires more frequent reporting by implementing partners for priority
indicators to ensure programming is on track to achieve anticipated
results. USAID participates in interagency performance consultations
for each PEPFAR operating unit on a quarterly basis, with USAID Mission
staff preparing and presenting comprehensive analyses, identifying
challenges, and developing action plans for areas in need of
improvement. In Washington, USAID conducts continuous review of
performance and financial data and holds routine discussions with USAID
Missions to offer analyses, strategic planning and technical and
operational support to improve performance where needed.
USAID HIV program performance remains strong. As of the end of the
first quarter of FY22, USAID is on track to achieve care and treatment
program targets globally, supporting nearly 7 million people with life-
saving HIV treatment--94 percent of these beneficiaries who received a
viral load test are virally suppressed, allowing people living with HIV
to live longer, healthier lives, and reducing further transmission of
the virus. These are key benchmarks in reaching HIV epidemic control.
Additionally, USAID has drastically expanded provision of HIV
prevention medication (PrEP) in recent years, with PrEP programs now
implemented in 32 countries. This expansion allowed USAID to initiate
over 500,000 clients on PrEP in FY21 and USAID is currently on track to
meet or exceed this result in FY22. Finally, an estimated 248,000 HIV-
related deaths and 950,000 HIV infections have been averted in
countries since 2016 where USAID supports HIV commodity procurement,
supply, and system strengthening through the USAID Global health Supply
Chain Program-Procurement and Supply Management Project.
Improving the COP Process: USAID Missions are actively engaged in
the annual PEPFAR Country/Regional Operational Plan (COP/ROP)
development process. USAID is supportive of improvements to the COP/ROP
process that would further support planning for program sustainability,
improve collaboration with non-USG stakeholders, and maximize time for
strategic dialogue and we look forward to working with Dr. John
Nkengasong to improve the process. Suggested adjustments could include
supporting multi-year operational plans, streamlining COP/ROP
deliverables, and adjusting format of COP planning meetings.
Leveraging PEPFAR platforms for the Global VAX Initiative: USAID
has maximized efficiencies by leveraging existing PEPFAR investments
and resources for COVID-19 programming while preventing diversion of
PEPFAR resources or focus. USAID partners who implement PEPFAR
programming are already on the ground in communities and facilities,
understand local contexts, and have established relationships with host
country governments and local organizations. In many countries, USAID
has also strengthened health system infrastructure, including human
resources, laboratory capacity and the supply chain, to support PEPFAR
implementation. USAID has leveraged these platforms for the COVID-19
response, but used supplemental funding, such as from the American
Rescue Plan Act, to increase human resources in facilities and
communities; procure personal protective equipment and COVID-19
testing, treatment and vaccine administration supplies; increase supply
chain capacity for COVID-19 products; and adapt data systems for COVID-
19 surveillance and vaccine tracking.
USAID implements a wide range of health programs in PEPFAR
countries, including but not limited to those responding to COVID-19,
malaria, tuberculosis, neglected tropical diseases, and pandemic
threats, such as Ebola and Zika. USAID implements these programs while
remaining fully dedicated to PEPFAR, the Agency's largest health
program. USAID utilizes funding from multiple appropriations to support
these activities, and the Agency has rigorous financial tracking
systems in place and remains accountable to appropriations for each
program area. As described above, USAID also routinely and
comprehensively monitors HIV program performance; the Agency has no
evidence that PEPFAR target achievement is negatively impacted by the
USAID COVID-19 response.
In South Africa, for example, Global VAX acceleration plans have
built on existing PEPFAR platforms to deliver integrated services.
During a USAID-supported vaccination campaign from February to April
2022 in the coastal region of KwaZulu-Natal, 57 percent of individuals
reached were first-time COVID-19 vaccine recipients, and 69 percent of
individuals were high-priority populations. USAID partner BroadReach
improved HIV screening by integrating COVID-19 vaccination community
outreach and HIV screening, which identified nearly three times more
HIV positive cases than routine community testing programs.
Question. Health Worker Initiative: The President's Budget Request
proposes $1 billion over the next 5 years to fund the international
elements of a Health Worker Initiative.
Can you provide more details about the proposed Health Worker
Initiative?
Answer. The COVID-19 pandemic has further exacerbated the projected
global 18 million health worker shortfall, which primarily impacts low-
and middle-income countries and raises additional threats to the
stability of health systems. Health worker shortages have impacted the
ability of countries to maintain routine service provision--including
maternal, child, and newborn health, HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other
essential primary health care services--while meeting demands for
COVID-19 specific services. The health workforce is the backbone of
countries' health systems and investment is imperative to build health
system capacity to provide services to achieve collective global health
goals and resiliency for the future and global health security (GHS).
The Global Health Worker Initiative (HWI) is meant to serve both an
internal guide to better align and coordinate U.S. resources and an
external call to action to coordinate significant, but disparate,
investments in global health workforce deliverables. In addition to
investments made across the U.S. Government, several countries,
including G7 and G20 countries, and multilateral and regional
organizations, have increased investments but with no mechanism to
align these efforts against a common set of goals and metrics. The
Health Worker Initiative serves as a strategic opportunity for the U.S.
Government to demonstrate its technical leadership in strengthening the
health workforce and mobilize coordinated attention and action around a
set of coalesced priorities.
Funding will serve as catalytic investment to advance country
health worker priorities aligned to the four pillar areas of HWI focus
to expand a sufficiently trained, protected, well-equipped and
supported workforce:
1. Advance Health Worker Protection: Ensure health workers are
better protected and safeguarded from violence, harassment, and
discrimination; that they can access prioritized vaccinations
and adequate PPE; and that mental health services are available
and accessible to address burnout.
2. Expand the Health Workforce: To help address the global health
worker gap, the Initiative will advance efforts to create
career pathways and expand paid employment opportunities in the
public and private health sectors, helping countries to plan
and manage multidisciplinary health worker configurations well-
equipped to meet provision of patient-centered services at the
primary health care level.
3. Advance Equity and Inclusion: Advance efforts to build a more
diverse cohort of health worker graduates and leaders that
reflects inclusivity, address numerous barriers, including
gender, ethnic/racial, and geography.
4. Expand Technology and Innovation: Work with partners in the
region to further harness innovation and expand digital
technologies that equip health workers with the ability to
provide more efficient, quality-integrated service delivery,
including telehealth services that can extend the reach of
health services from facilities and into communities, including
the most marginalized populations
USAID envisions the majority of funds be programmed through
missions with a key focus to advance agency localization efforts
shifting greater leadership and ownership for health workers to local
institutions. The aim is that catalytic funding across a subset of
countries will also motivate additive investments by other donors,
including G7 and G20 countries, multilateral and regional organizations
and the private sector, that would also be coordinated under the HWI
framework. USAID is continuing to work with the NSC and other agencies
and can provide more details as further plans are developed.
Question. In which countries or contexts would this program be most
valuable?
Answer. USAID has coordinated with other agencies to lead the
development of proposed criteria for country prioritization for the HWI
that includes:
1. Overall need aligned to the four areas of HWI focus with
prioritization for countries on the World Health Organization
Health Worker Support and Safeguards List that have a service
coverage index lower than 50 and density of doctors, nurses and
midwives that is below the global median of 48.6 per 10,000.
For reference, 46 out of the 47 countries on this list are also
USAID-supported countries (all but Eritrea), which further
demonstrates the significance of HWI;
2. Level of existing U.S. Government global health investments in
countries that could be leveraged and built upon (e.g. PEPFAR,
PMI, GHS) and as indication of where additional investment in
the health workforce could further accelerate and support
sustained achievement of global health goals; and
3. Enabling environment including current policies and political
engagement for prioritization for increased investment and
strengthening of the health workforce.
Question. Health Worker Initiative: How will this Health Worker
Initiative support the U.S.'s global COVID response or in our other
global health programs?
Answer. A critical priority is to reclaim lost ground on core
global health strategic goals--including to reduce child and maternal
deaths, combat infectious disease threats, and control HIV/AIDS.
Reversing this damage requires addressing the core source of fragility
in LMIC health systems--the lack of a robust health workforce that is
consistently and adequately paid, trained, supported, and coordinated--
particularly in primary health care. Health systems anchored in a
strengthened primary health workforce are proven to deliver markedly
lower maternal and child mortality, improved equity, and better cost
efficiency. And, as COVID-19 has shown us, strong systems are integral
to detecting and responding to emerging epidemic and pandemic threats.
HWI will aid the U.S. global COVID-19 response and other global
health programs through expanding a comprehensive health worker
pipeline, equipped and better managed to respond beyond singular health
program needs. This would include collective services at the primary
health care level, and into local employment so that fewer external
resources are needed to support health workers in the future and that
there is both stronger county and regional workforce capacity ready to
efficiently respond to the next global health crisis.
USAID has been at the forefront of advancing health workforce
priorities for global health for more than 20 years and is well
equipped to support implementation of HWI. HWI investments will not
work in a vacuum and will support existing mission health workforce
activities as well as allow missions to expand into new areas of health
workforce support that will help further advance U.S. health
investments and progress towards global health goals. USAID will issue
policy guidance that includes a set of indicators to ensure that
funding from this Initiative that is allocated to missions will be
leveraged and coordinated with other types of GH funding (e.g. global
health security), as well as other agency investments to amplify impact
that is aligned to country health priorities. While USAID has been
working across the interagency to inform development of HWI priorities
it is envisioned that USAID will guide interagency coordination across
countries to ensure alignment and leverage of interagency health worker
investments.
Question. Humanitarian Assistance: The Putin regime's unprovoked,
brutal war against Ukraine has exacerbated the conditions driving food
insecurity globally and has had a particularly damaging impact on
fragile states in East Africa, North Africa, and the Middle East. Given
how the 2007-2008 global food price crisis provoked riots and economic
and political instability in countries from Africa to South America, it
is clearly in the national security interests of the American people to
respond. Remarkably, and despite claims that the Administration is
seeking to ``reinvigorate U.S. humanitarian leadership,'' the FY 2023
budget request proposes to cut humanitarian assistance by nearly 18
percent, relative to FY 2022 enacted levels.
While in full agreement that other donors need to step up and do
more, how can an 18 percent decrease in humanitarian assistance
accounts be justified at a time when displacement and food insecurity
levels are at all-time highs?
Answer. We are also concerned with the unprecedented and growing
global humanitarian needs, which have been exacerbated by Russia's
invasion of Ukraine. The FY 2023 request includes $10.45 billion for
humanitarian assistance worldwide in base IDA, FFP-Title II, MRA, and
ERMA and $1.8 billion--above the FY 2022 base enacted level of $8.65
billion. We are grateful for the nearly $5 billion in supplemental
resources Congress provided in FY 2022 to address unanticipated
circumstances in Afghanistan and Ukraine, as well as the global food
crisis. We will continue to assess evolving humanitarian needs, and
consultation with Congress is an important part of our effort to ensure
we have sufficient resources to respond.
Question. The proposal to reduce food aid was accompanied by a
vague reference to efforts to reform the Food for Peace program. While
Food for Peace has served as America's flagship food aid program since
1964, its success is hampered by arcane U.S. purchase and shipping
requirements that unnecessarily drive up costs. These inefficiencies
led Congress to authorize an alternative, the International Disaster
Assistance--Emergency Food Security Program (IDA-EFSP), which enables
USAID to utilize the right tool in the right place at the right time.
Specifically, what reforms do you intend to propose to make the
Food for Peace program more efficient and effective?
Will you commit to working with your authoring committees, the
Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the House Foreign Affairs
Committee, to socialize, negotiate, and enact urgently needed food aid
reforms?
Should those reforms include a change to U.S. cargo preference
requirements, which have outlived their usefulness purpose? If not, why
not?
What is the cost differential between U.S. commodities shipped on
foreign-flagged vessels and U.S.-flagged vessels?
What is the time differential between U.S. commodities shipped on
foreign-flagged vessels and U.S.-flagged vessels?
On average, how many U.S. flag carriers bid on USAID food
assistance procurements?
Answer. Yes, the Agency commits to working with the Senate Foreign
Relations Committee and the House Foreign Affairs Committee, to
socialize, negotiate, and enact food aid reforms. At a minimum,
specifically, USAID will pursue technical legislative fixes to the Food
for Peace Act that will reduce administrative burden for new, small, or
local partners; allow USAID to support emergency response operations
and quality non-emergency program design with Title II funds;
streamline the award-making process; and improve flexibility between
humanitarian funding streams to ensure that the most appropriate
funding tool is used for every crisis.
Given the extremely high levels of global humanitarian need, USAID
is supportive of all efforts to increase the speed and reduce the cost
of providing life-saving assistance. Cargo preference requirements
increase the cost and reduce the timeliness of life-saving emergency
food assistance. Russia's war against Ukraine threatens to reduce
global food, fuel, and fertilizer supplies and increase the cost of
these commodities. Between Fiscal Year 2021 (FY21) and FY22 (year-to-
date), the average cost to purchase a representative basket of food and
deliver it to the areas of the world where USAID works most has risen
by approximately 23 percent. In FY21, USAID paid approximately 46
percent more per metric ton (MT) to ship commodities on U.S.-flag
vessels than foreign-flag vessels: the average ocean rate per MT was
$162 for U.S.-flag vessels and $111 for foreign-flag vessels.
Additionally, in FY21, of the 1.7 million MTs of commodities for which
USAID issued solicitations, approximately 42 percent (714,000 MT) did
not receive any U.S.-flag offers/bids.
When USAID does not receive a U.S. flag bid on a solicitation (due
to lack of availability or otherwise), USAID makes a determination of
non-availability (DNA). Upon this determination, USAID notifies the
Maritime Administration (MARAD) of the DNA and contracts with a foreign
flag carrier based on the lowest landed cost offer received that
complies with the terms and conditions of the solicitation (e.g.
capacity and availability to meet the requirements as specified in the
solicitation), and past performance of the service. If it was necessary
to wait for a U.S. flag ship to become available in lieu of chartering
a foreign flag ship, at this time, it would take approximately 2-3
additional months for emergency food commodities to reach their
destination.
Question. Democracy, Rights, and Governance: Gender: The FY23
Budget request includes $200 million for the Gender Equity & Equality
Action Fund.
How will this money be spent compared to the previous fund, which
was named Women's Global Development and Prosperity Fund?
Answer. The GEEA Fund builds and expands upon the successes and
lessons learned from the Women's Global Development and Prosperity (W-
GDP) Initiative and its corresponding ``WGDP Fund,'' by expanding upon
the three W-GDP pillars (workforce development, entrepreneurship, and
enabling environment), with a comprehensive set of priorities and
principles. The priority areas, for instance, incorporate prevention
and response to gender-based violence where it impacts women's economic
development, and address issues such as the gender pay gap and unpaid
care responsibilities.
The GEEA Fund priorities include: promoting economic
competitiveness through well-paying, quality jobs; expanding care
infrastructure and value domestic work; securing women's economic
future through green jobs and building resilience to climate change;
promoting entrepreneurship, and financial and digital inclusion,
through trade and investment; and dismantling systemic gender barriers.
The GEEA Fund key principles for programming include a focus on
partnerships, localization, transformation of systemic and structural
inequalities, an intersectional approach, utilization of gender
analyses, prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse, and
consultations.
Question. Europe and Eurasia: Ukraine: Many local Ukrainian aid
organizations and networks complain to us that large international aid
groups are poorly organized for their work in Ukraine because they do
not know how to work in a country that has both an ongoing war and a
functioning government, working transport systems, and active public
services.
How can USAID most effectively bridge the gap between large
multilateral aid organizations and local partners so assistance can
flow to the areas and people that need it most?
How much assistance does USAID assess is making it the last mile,
making it to the people that need that are most in need?
How much aid does USAID is being held up in warehouses or being
distributed to those people who are in less dire circumstances?
Answer. We acknowledge the critical role that local Ukrainian
organizations play in this response, and are committed to building and
scaling engagement with these groups. Many of USAID's awardees are
engaging local Ukrainian organizations as sub-grantees.
USAID is providing humanitarian assistance through the United
Nations (UN) and international non-governmental organizations (INGOs),
which often partner with local organizations to deliver assistance.
Currently, USAID is working with 44 local organizations in Ukraine as
sub-awardees and anticipates an increase in that number. However, USAID
recognizes that some local organizations have not previously worked
with international donors, engaged in humanitarian work, or programmed
the significant amount of money that is currently flowing into the
Ukrainian humanitarian response. In some cases there is a need to set
up, or further develop, their internal systems (e.g., compliance, human
resources) and to provide training and capacity building. Engaging
local organizations as sub-awardees via UN or INGO partners is one
approach to mobilizing local humanitarian action while ensuring the
necessary compliance, oversight, and systems are in place in line with
our donor requirements.
In areas experiencing active conflict, insecurity remains the most
significant access constraint near frontlines, making it difficult for
even local organizations to deliver aid. Humanitarian actors continue
to call for humanitarian pauses to the conflict to allow for safe
passage without security guarantees. In addition, mine contamination
following the Government of the Russian Federation's tactical retreats;
destroyed roads and bridges; and restrictions of the movement of
humanitarian actors and people in need of assistance are other critical
access issues that have impeded humanitarian aid delivery.
Question. Western Hemisphere: Venezuela: Please describe the
attitude of the Maduro regime towards independent civil society in
Venezuela, and the environment of state-led threats in which civil
society operates in Venezuela.
Answer. The Maduro regime continues its hostility towards
independent civil society in Venezuela, including legal and financial
threats, extra judicial violence, forced migration, and other forms of
harassment. Currently, the Illegitimate National Assembly is revisiting
passage of a non-governmental organization (NGO) law that would make it
mandatory for NGOs to join a national register to carry out activities
in the country. All NGOs that operate in Venezuela would need to
provide the authorities with information on their constitution,
statutes, activities, providence, administration, and the final
destination of their resources. Significantly, the law would require
details on an NGOs source of financing.
In April 2022, the Maduro regime included the country's NGOs in a
proposed anti-terrorism bill that would codify the regime's ability to
restrict, harass, or criminalize specific institutions it finds
threatening. In May 2022, 326 Venezuelan NGOs signed a petition
demanding the revocation of the draft bill.
USAID recognizes the serious threat that our civil society partners
work on a daily basis. Their safety and security is a top priority.
Question. What impact would easing sanctions on the Maduro regime
have on its ability to repress internationally-recognized human rights
in Venezuela?
Answer. USAID is encouraged by progress in the International
Criminal Court's (ICC) investigation of the Maduro regime for crimes
against humanity, and we also believe that the United Nations' Office
of the High Commissioner for Human Rights Fact Finding Mission has
produced valuable information on the regime's pervasive and systematic
human rights abuses. Venezuela's USAID-supported human rights
organizations have made important contributions to the work of the ICC
and the UN.
The Maduro regime continues human rights abuses despite existing
sanctions. Given the Maduro regime's history, USAID does not believe
that the additional resources would be used for the benefit of the
Venezuelan people. The regime continuously prioritizes its available
funds for security institutions that violate human rights, to the
detriment of Venezuelan's basic freedoms and their well-being. If the
United States lifted sanctions in a way that allowed the regime to
accrue revenue, resources available to the regime would be stolen and/
or used to finance state security and other forms of social control,
including greater control over humanitarian access.
Question. What impact would easing sanctions on the Maduro regime
have on the morale of our partners within Venezuela's civil society?
Answer. Venezuelan civil society organizations have diverse
perspectives on sanctions. On one end, some believe sectoral sanctions
should be relieved because the increased revenues in the country,
however poorly managed, will bring urgently needed humanitarian relief.
On the other end, some believe the regime will never implement
democratic or humanitarian concessions so sanctions must be continued,
along with other measures, to weaken the regime. Others hold a position
somewhere in between: that sanctions must be relieved only when
democratic and humanitarian compromises are reached.
We do not have a formal survey of opinions at this time. A majority
of the civil society organizations our partners work with believe that
sanctions should be leveraged for concessions, and that the U.S.
Government should uphold individual sanctions against regime officials,
especially against those that have clearly demonstrated a disregard for
human rights. However, there are also those that opine that such
measures over the last few years have had little impact on democratic
or humanitarian conditions in the country.
USAID will continue to work with allies to build multilateral
pressure on the Maduro regime, hold regime members accountable for
their criminal activities, identify those who undermine democracy or
abuse human rights, and provide humanitarian assistance to alleviate
the suffering of the Venezuelan people.
Question. In your opinion, what are the minimum conditions that
should exist in Venezuela to ensure that easing sanctions on the Maduro
regime does not significantly enhance its capacity to repress
Venezuelan civil society?
Answer. At this time, USAID does not consider that the Maduro
regime has demonstrated any progress on democracy or human rights that
would trigger any consideration of a major change in United States
sanctions policy.
Question. What impact is the migration crisis caused by the Maduro
regime having on the ability of Colombian authorities to meet their
population's needs?
Answer. Over 6 million Venezuelans have fled the country with over
1.8 million migrants residing in Colombia. The majority of these
migrants have no intention of returning to Venezuela. Through our
regional USAID socio-economic integration programs, over the past 3
years, we have supported tens of thousands of migrants with job skill
building, entrepreneur training, professional recertification, and
access to the financial and banking system.
USAID is providing assistance to facilitate the socio-economic
integration of Venezuelan migrants into countries throughout South
America. The continuing significant influx of migrants across the
region poses governance, economic, and social challenges. To mitigate
these challenges in these countries, USAID is working to strengthen
local institutions to provide basic services and effectively and
equitably absorb the inflow of migrants.
Specifically in Colombia, USAID is supporting the Government of
Colombia (GOC)'s implementation of the 10-year temporary protected
status for Venezuelan migrants announced in February 2021, as well as
helping the GOC manage its borders by enhancing its capability to
document and track incoming Venezuelan migrants and Colombian
returnees. USAID will also support the GOC in increasing the capacity
of its education system to provide sustainable and inclusive quality
education in communities impacted by Venezuelan migration; support
Colombian institutions to raise awareness of migrant issues, prevent
human rights violations, protect those under threat, and respond to and
investigate abuses; work to protect basic human rights for migrants,
improve access to livelihoods and jobs, and promote community building
to counter bias and discrimination; and strengthen Colombia's health
system to help communities respond to the strain of hosting Venezuelan
migrants and Colombians returning from Venezuela.
Question. Central America: What is USAID's assessment of the impact
of ending Title 42 removal authority on illegal migration flows through
Central America?
Answer. While Title 42 remains in effect, the Administration
remains focused on doing its due diligence to prepare for potential
changes at the border. USAID provides support to returned migrants in
their home country of origin.
USAID works closely within the interagency and with governments in
the region to improve humane migration management and promote safe,
humane, and legal migration pathways throughout Central America. We
have alerted countries to the upcoming changes in processing at U.S.
borders and requested flexibility in repatriating individuals without a
legal basis to remain in the United States.
I would refer you to the Department of Homeland Security and the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevent (CDC) for further information
regarding border processing and the Title 42 Public Health Order.
Question. Please describe the specific reforms the Administration
is seeking from each of the governments in Mexico and the countries of
northern Central America to reduce illegal migration from the region,
including the concrete and verifiable benchmarks by which USAID will
measure the efficacy of its programs related to the ``Root Causes
Strategy for Central America.''
Answer. Mexico: The United States and Mexico remain committed
partners on security cooperation to protect our citizens and to make
our nations safer and stronger. During the October 2021 High-Level
Security Dialogue, the United States and Mexico adopted the
Bicentennial Framework for Security, Public Health, and Safe
Communities, which modernizes our security cooperation and establishes
a comprehensive, long-term approach for binational actions to pursue
the safety and security of our societies. The Framework builds on our
cooperation under the Merida Initiative, incorporates lessons learned,
and offers a more comprehensive approach to security cooperation. With
the adoption of the Framework, our countries committed to transforming
our cooperation to better protect the health and safety of our citizens
and promote the development of the most vulnerable communities in both
countries, prevent criminal organizations from harming our countries,
and pursue and bring criminals to justice.
The Bicentennial Framework places a sharper focus on addressing the
root causes of violence and insecurity in communities on both sides of
the border. USAID continues to actively target individuals most likely
to be victims or perpetrators of violent crime through focused
reinsertion interventions for at-risk youth (secondary prevention) and
social reinsertion programs for youth in conflict with the law
(tertiary prevention). In collaboration with local governments, justice
system operators, policymakers, civil society service providers, and
private sector stakeholders, USAID promotes the institutionalization
and replication of proven violence prevention models and the expanded
utilization of alternative sentencing for youth offenders. The
Bicentennial Framework also allows the expansion and scaling up of
programming informed by evidence with proven results at the local
level. In collaboration with state and local partners, USAID has
developed successful approaches to address community violence, divert
at-risk youth from crime, and better respond to high-impact crimes.
Support and buy-in from the Federal Government are critical to
expanding these initiatives more broadly and ensuring long-term
sustainability.
In support of our security cooperation objectives, USAID continues
to develop robust Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Plans--with clear
output, outcome, and context indicators--for its own activities. Using
these indicators, USAID sets baselines and targets, and works with
partners to monitor progress and adapt as needed to achieve high-level
outcomes. For example, in rule of law, USAID supports attorneys general
offices and courts, among other institutions, to increase the
efficiency and effectiveness of criminal and civil justice systems.
These programs include developing analytical ability, improving
victims' access to justice, and building public support for criminal
justice reforms. To measure progress, USAID tracks prosecution rates
for high-impact crimes, aiming to increase from a baseline of 12.2
percent in 2018 to 15 percent by 2022. Also, the percent decrease in
average time for all case resolutions in State Courts is expected to
decrease by 10 percent in 2022. Compliance rate with precautionary
measures is expected to increase to 90 percent in target states, from a
baseline of 88 percent.
Under the Bicentennial Framework, the United States and Mexico
committed to develop joint indicators to measure high-level outcomes
from our work. The final indicators remain under negotiation but will
focus on significant outcomes needed to assess progress in our priority
areas.
southern mexico and development cooperation with the gom in northern
central america
During Vice President Harris' June 2021 trip to Mexico, USAID
opened up a new partnership with the Mexican Development Agency
(AMEXCID) to work jointly to address the root causes of migration in
Northern Central America. Under a joint framework called Sembrando
Oportunidades, USAID and AMEXCID are working to coordinate our major
economic growth and livelihoods project to give communities at risk of
migration, the best potential outcomes possible by transferring
beneficiaries from GOM programs to our own which offer them longer term
support.
Sembrando Oportunidades includes support for economic development
in southern Mexico, promotes clean energy, and deals with the root
causes of migration in cooperation with AMEXCID. Our strategic alliance
with Mexico addresses root causes in Northern Central America and
southern Mexico, through an MOU that was witnessed last year by our
Vice President. We also work to help AMEXCID improve their own systems
as a young institution to achieve greater impact. We have found this
partnership to be very productive, and it has helped the USG
immeasurably in improving our own diplomatic and development relations.
northern central america
In line with five pillars of the Root Causes Strategy, USAID
prioritizes development programs that address the key drivers of
irregular migration from El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras, with
particular focus on immigration to the United States.
In practical terms, this entails aiming to focus programs
geographically in areas with higher out-migration, and demographically
on populations exhibiting higher propensity for irregular migration. It
also means that collection and use of migration-related data is in
addition to generating the evidence needed to track progress toward
achievement of USAID's development objectives.
To measure development outcomes, USAID and the Department of State
track a robust set of performance and country commitment (context)
indicators. Examples include jobs and sales generated through support
to firms, at-risk youth reached with crime and violence prevention
services, as well as satisfaction with police, courts, and local
government services.
For migration, USAID regularly analyzes migration data from
multiple sources, including sensitive data from the U.S. Customs and
Border Protection (CBP), gauges attitudes and opinions of Central
Americans related to migration through perception surveys, and
commissions evaluations, assessments, and studies that provide deeper
insight into outcomes and operational context.
Question. Middle East: Syria: Assistance in Regime-Held Areas: I
was deeply concerned to learn that this Administration is supporting
both State and USAID funding in Assad regime-held areas.
Given Assad's systematic manipulation of international aid, how can
the U.S. ensure assistance does not benefit the Assad regime?
How does U.S. support for ``early recovery'' projects in Assad-held
areas further core U.S. objectives?
Please provide USAID's definition of ``reconstruction funds''? What
is the distinction between reconstruction and early recovery?
What are the red lines in terms of U.S. assistance in regime
controlled areas?
Answer. We employ a range of risk mitigation measures to prevent
our assistance from benefitting the Assad regime or other sanctioned
individuals or entities in Syria, including when such entities may
control territory in Syria. Our humanitarian partners are required to
have comprehensive risk mitigation plans that include, among other
things: independent beneficiary selection and verification; post-
distribution monitoring; warehouse security measures; financial and
procurement controls; background checks for sub-partners, vendors, and
staff; protocols for mitigation of and response to waste, fraud, and
abuse; efforts the partner will undertake in collaboration with other
organizations, such as the development of joint operating principles or
information exchanges on risks in the operating environment; and
measures to mitigate the risks that sanctioned groups or individuals
could receive reputational benefit from the proposed activities, such
as a sanctioned group or individual claiming credit for assistance or
services provided. All partners are also required to fully cooperate
with a USAID-contracted third-party monitoring service to monitor the
implementation of all programs and provide immediate updates on any
interference with aid, particularly with regard to sanctioned groups.
All USAID partners are additionally required to employ their own third-
party monitoring contractors to monitor the implementation of their
programs on the ground. All USAID partners are also required to provide
immediate incident reports on any interference or instance of fraud,
waste, or abuse, even if only alleged, to the USAID Office of Inspector
General, the award's Agreement Officer, and Agreement Officer's
Representative.
USAID-funded early recovery programs in regime-controlled areas are
very limited in scope--such as small scale repairs of water pumps and
community based livelihood programs targeted at vulnerable women--and
do not involve direct support to national Syrian Government
institutions, nor (like all USAID humanitarian programs) are they
directed by them. Early recovery in Syria does not mean reconstruction
or support to the central government, normalizing relationships with
the regime, or removing pressure on Assad to engage in the political
process.
USAID distinguishes early recovery programming from reconstruction
programming by design, intent, and scale. Humanitarian early recovery
is a form of humanitarian assistance that aims to reduce immediate and
protracted humanitarian needs by strengthening the self-reliance of
affected populations through generally small-scale programs at the
individual, household, and local community level; improving individual,
household, and community welfare; and therefore reducing dependence on
external assistance.
Like all other humanitarian programs, early recovery activities by
humanitarian agencies are conducted based on community needs and with
independent partners. The United States does not support reconstruction
directed by the Syrian Government, which would be designed to benefit
its own narrow interests. We believe irreversible political progress
toward a political solution in line with United Nations Security
Council Resolution (UNSCR) 2254 is both a necessary and vital condition
for reconstruction and we have not seen progress on this front.
Question. Renewal of UN Mandate for Cross-Border Humanitarian
Assistance: In July, the UN-monitored Syria cross-border mechanism will
expire and the UN, along with partners and allies, will have limited
ability to partner with local entities to continue to deliver aid to
millions in NW Syria. The risk of a catastrophic humanitarian event is
astronomical.
Please describe the efforts that USAID is taking to encourage the
UN and other partners to hand off necessary programs to local entities
so that essential programs can continue in the event of non-renewal.
How can the DART team, based out of Gaziantep, Turkey, maintain its
ability to partner with the UN and other entities to ensure
humanitarian aid will flow to those in need in the event of non-
renewal?
Should the Russians and/or the Chinese issue a veto, what would
non-renewal look like for Syrians and the international community?
Do you believe that cross-line assistance is a substitute for
cross-border assistance?
Please describe your engagements with humanitarian partners on the
event of renewal or non-renewal.
Are humanitarian partners preparing to hand off essential programs
in NW Syria should the mechanism not be renewed?
In the event of non-renewal, what posture would the DART team and
USAID take on continued aid assistance to NW Syria?
Answer. USAID strongly shares your concerns regarding the
potentially catastrophic humanitarian consequences of non-renewal of
the United Nations' (UN) cross-border mandate for delivery of
humanitarian assistance into northwest Syria. Preparations to date have
confirmed USAID's assessment that any contingency operations in the
event of a non-renewal would only cover a fraction of the UN's current
caseload of assisting 2.4 million people per month through cross-border
aid. We support using all modalities to deliver humanitarian assistance
to Syrians in need, including both cross-line and cross-border
mechanisms, but we have also been clear and consistent with Security
Council members, allies, and partners, that given the numerous
challenges of delivering cross-line aid, it cannot match the scale and
scope of cross-border aid into northwest Syria.
Since the passage of UN Security Council Resolution 2585, there
have been four UN cross-line missions to northwest Syria; with the most
recent delivering food aid for 43,500 people. By contrast, in a typical
month, UN cross-border aid through Bab al-Hawa delivers enough food for
1.4 million people. Frankly, there is no comparing the two. Cross-line
assistance simply cannot substitute for cross-border.
Since the start of this Administration and consistently across all
three administrations in office since the Syrian conflict began, USAID
has regularly consulted with partners and allies on the best ways to
maintain humanitarian access and deliver U.S. humanitarian assistance
to the Syrian people, including in the northwest. USAID is in constant
discussion with UN leadership and UN agencies about humanitarian needs
in northwest Syria and the unique mandates and capabilities that each
agency brings to this humanitarian response. USAID consistently
stresses to UN agencies the importance of meeting needs in northwest
Syria through all means available. USAID is also in constant discussion
with UN agencies and our non-governmental organization (NGO) partners
about the need to support local humanitarian partners in northwest
Syria and across the whole of Syria. NGOs play an indispensable role in
this response, and USAID has and will support efforts to enhance their
capacities.
All of these channels will remain open up to and beyond the vote to
reauthorize UN cross-border aid to Syria this July. We will continue to
use all means available to advocate for continued humanitarian access
and to deliver U.S. humanitarian assistance to the Syrian people,
including in the northwest, in coordination with the UN, NGOs, other
donors, and partner countries. In any emergency response, including in
Syria, USAID expects humanitarian agencies to prepare for all
reasonable scenarios so life-saving aid keeps flowing to those who need
it.
USAID is available to provide further details in response to your
questions in an appropriate setting.
Question. Palestinian Assistance: Turning to Palestinian
Assistance, how are we trying to encourage the Palestinian Authority to
abandon support for terrorism, including pay to slay?
Answer. We agree with you that the practice of prisoner and martyr
payments or any support for terrorism is abhorrent, and the Biden-
Harris administration is committed to continuing to work to end the
practice of Palestinian prisoner and ``martyr'' payments. We continue
to urge Palestinian Authority leaders and officials to end this
practice in meetings at all levels. Most recently, in her meeting with
Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh, Deputy Administrator Isobel Coleman
emphasized the need to end the unacceptable practice, until which time
USAID will strictly adhere to restrictions on assistance to the PA
under U.S. law.
We believe it is critical for Israel and the PA to refrain from
unilateral steps that exacerbate tensions and undercut efforts to
advance a negotiated two-state solution, including incitement to
violence and providing compensation for individuals imprisoned for acts
of terrorism.
Question. Yemen: What steps can USAID take to improve oversight of
operations in Yemen given our limited presence on the ground?
Answer. We place the highest priority on ensuring U.S. taxpayer
funds are effectively supporting their intended purpose. USAID requires
our partners to have proper safeguards and risk mitigation systems to
support the provision of assistance to those who need it most. USAID
also utilizes various oversight mechanisms to ensure programs reach the
intended beneficiaries, including third-party monitoring, partner
vetting, geo-tagged photos, and videos of distributions. USAID/Yemen is
also rolling out third-party, in-person site visits in limited areas
deemed secure. We work closely with partners, the Republic of Yemen
Government, other donors, and our Inspector General to identify risks
and take steps to protect our assistance.
Question. How can USAID use U.S. assistance to further U.N.-led
peace efforts?
Answer. The truce is an opportunity for a durable and inclusive
resolution to the conflict and expands the space for much-needed relief
that USAID and the international community are providing to millions of
Yemenis. A key U.S. policy objective in Yemen is to support a United
Nations (UN)-led inclusive, negotiated political settlement to the
conflict. The United States supports the Republic of Yemen Government
(ROYG) as the internationally recognized government and aligns
assistance to enable the implementation of a resolution to the conflict
consistent with U.S. national interests, through coordination with U.S.
Special Envoy Timothy Lenderking's office.
At the beneficiary level, USAID identifies and supports local-level
initiatives that mitigate conflict, strengthen social cohesion, and
promote the peaceful resolution of differences. Our work utilizes a
step-by-step framework for building the resilience of community
members, civil society organizations, the private sector, traditional
leaders, and local government officials to collaboratively identify and
address local issues through conflict mitigation and service delivery
projects.
USAID also trains formal and informal leaders, organizations, and
networks to serve as neutral arbitrators and peace-builders to meet
community and constituent needs. As of March 2022, 24 grants totaling
nearly $1 million have been awarded to community-based Yemeni
nongovernmental organizations to engage youth in community and civic
life; build unity and tolerance across historical or other divides;
promote innovative tools to reconnect communities and reignite pride in
commonalities; and amplify women's participation in community peace-
building and/or service delivery. For instance, youth grantees have
produced art, media, and community events that showcase messages of
peace and reconciliation, build understanding across groups, and
celebrate Yemen's shared cultural heritage.
USAID also facilitates increasing civil society and women's voices
in ROYG decision-making on the peace process.
These investments, carefully coordinated with U.S. Special Envoy
Timothy Lenderking's office, align our assistance to support a United
Nations (UN)-led inclusive, negotiated political settlement to the
conflict, a key U.S. policy objective in Yemen.
Question. How can USAID use U.S. assistance to improve the
internationally-recognized government's ability to deliver services?
Answer. Economic growth programs in Yemen support the stabilization
and creation of a productive macroeconomic environment by supporting
capacity-building activities and reforms in the Central Bank of Yemen
(CBY) and other Republic of Yemen Government (ROYG) institutions. With
our support, Yemen successfully launched its first-ever foreign
exchange auctions, improved port productivity and wait times in Aden,
and unfroze nearly $400 million worth of deposits at the CBY.
USAID/Yemen's trade facilitation activity focuses on improving port
procedures at the Aden and Mukalla Ports in partnership with the port
authorities and Yemen Customs Authority. USAID interventions aim to
reduce trading costs and delays, counter corrupt practices, increase
transparency (as per World Trade Organization's Trade Facilitation Act)
by digitizing trading procedures and reducing trade-related
bureaucracy. This collective set of interventions is designed to i)
facilitate the flow of essential goods into Yemen, particularly
humanitarian aid, food products, and critical medical supplies for
combatting COVID-19; (ii) enhance the competitiveness of Yemeni
producers, particularly small and medium enterprises; and (iii) promote
Yemeni exports.
To enhance Yemen's access to international financial systems, USAID
upgraded the CBY's access to SWIFT, a network for financial transfers
that underpins transparency and accountability. These improvements are
important for businesses that struggle to operate in a normal market
environment by increasing citizen trust by enhancing the ROYG's
responsiveness and ability to mitigate the impact of the crisis.
USAID also works closely with the Ministry of Education to support
a stronger, resilient education system which provides quality formal
education for Yemeni children. These actions include curriculum reform,
teacher training and improving access to school, with a special focus
on girls. In collaboration with the Ministry, USAID has established
non-formal education centers in communities to help the roughly 2
million internally displaced children continue their education.
Likewise, USAID is strengthening the Ministry of Health to deliver
quality maternal, child and reproductive health care to over 220
clinics. Activities include systems strengthening to ensure there are
no supply chain breaks in key medicines and materials as well as
extensive training and capacity building for doctors, nurses, midwives
and other healthcare professionals.
USAID collaborated closely with local authorities to assist more
than 1.5 million vulnerable Yemenis with increased, sustainable access
to clean water, improved sanitation services, and hygiene awareness
sessions to prevent the spread of communicable diseases such as cholera
and COVID-19.
Question. Afghanistan: The Administration seems to be surprised
that the Taliban are behaving like the Taliban. We've seen them eject
women and girls from school, re-instate guardianship laws, and it's
clear that the Taliban maintains a relationship with al-Qaeda.
What is the wisdom in the Administration's plans to issue a
national interest waiver to allow direct financial benefit to the
Taliban?
How does the Administration find leverage to change Taliban
conduct?
To what degree do you feel assistance is a point of leverage?
Answer. For questions regarding the national interest waiver, we
refer you to the U.S. Department of State.
USAID works closely with the Department of State and other
interagency partners to identify options for engaging with the Taliban
to hold them accountable for their public commitments. We work closely
with the Afghanistan Affairs Unit in Doha to raise concerns and issues
through their channels. USAID programs operate to support humanitarian
and basic needs of the Afghan people, while also seeking to promote
economic stabilization within Afghanistan. With the recent news of the
Taliban issuing a decree forcing Afghan women and girls to observe
hijab and strongly encouraging them to stay home, USAID is actively
working with interagency partners to identify measures to pressure the
Taliban to reverse this decree, as well as other policies that
contravene their public commitments. Unfortunately, the Taliban have
shown that assistance does not sway their thinking or their actions;
further, they have not demonstrated capacity to solve the ongoing
humanitarian and economic crisis and alleviate the suffering of Afghans
on their own.
Question. Summit for Democracy: In the ``year of action'' between
the 2021 and 2022 Summits for Democracy, what deliverables does USAID
expect to share with Congress?
Answer. At the 2021 Summit for Democracy, USAID announced 14
deliverables under the umbrella of the new Presidential Initiative for
Democratic Renewal (PIDR). The PIDR centers on five areas of work
crucial to the functioning of transparent, accountable governance, and
in which we perceive our democracy assistance efforts need an update to
meet the present moment: supporting free and independent media,
fighting corruption, bolstering democratic reformers, advancing
technology for democracy, and defending free and fair elections and
political processes. USAID's deliverables include a number of
innovative programs and initiatives, including:
The Powered by the People initiative, which will use new
methods to empower and improve the efficacy of citizen
movements;
The Defamation Defense Fund (recently renamed ``Reporters
Mutual'') activity, which will provide liability coverage to
shield investigative journalists from defamation lawsuits and
allow them to continue their critical work.
The Combating Transnational Corruption Grand Challenge,
which will allow USAID to work with global partners to develop
innovative tools and technologies and launch joint initiatives
to reduce transnational corruption.
The Defending Democratic Elections Fund, which will help
countries and electoral community actors to proactively address
the wide range of contemporary threats to elections and
political processes.
The Advancing Digital Democracy initiative, which will work
with governments, technologists, and civil society to foster
digital ecosystems in which technology is developed, used, and
governed in ways that advance democracy and respect for human
rights.
The Partnerships for Democracy initiative (the name will
likely change, to avoid confusion with the House Democracy
Partnership), which will surge support to countries
experiencing democratic openings, bringing government and non-
governmental stakeholders together to pursue inclusive reforms,
improve service delivery, and demonstrate that democracy
delivers.
USAID does not anticipate announcing major new USAID programs in
connection with the second Summit for Democracy. USAID intends to use
the platform provided by the second Summit to elevate and highlight
progress made on the ambitious suite of programs announced at the first
Summit. USAID will use the Summit to expand on these programs and build
on the lessons learned over the last year.
To the extent USAID conceives any new deliverables during the Year
of Action, we are committed to sharing them with Congress in advance of
the second Summit.
Question. As we approach the mid-summer check-in point, do you
believe countries are taking actionable steps to promote and defend
democracy?
Answer. At the first Summit for Democracy (S4D) in December 2021,
leaders from governments, civil society, and the private sector made a
diverse series of commitments to strengthen democratic governance,
protect human rights, and counter corruption and authoritarianism.
Through the first Summit, the Year of Action (YoA), and future Summit
convenings, the U.S. Government (USG) seeks to build on this momentum
and spur collective action to bolster democracies and counter
backsliding.
During the first Summit, 100 leaders made over 700 commitments on
which their governments would make progress during the YoA. Country
commitments focused particularly on: taking aggressive action to
counter corruption; defending journalists and activists and protecting
media freedom; protecting marginalized communities, particularly women;
defending democratic elections; and expanding access to justice. The
State Department has confirmed and published official written
commitments from more than 50 countries.
While it is too early to evaluate the success of the Summit, the
U.S. Government and its partners have taken important steps to ensure
that countries follow through on their commitments to promote and
defend democracy. The U.S. Government is raising country-level
commitments in bilateral engagements, seeking participation on ours,
and seeking to amply the broader goals of the Summit in multilateral
engagements.
In particular, since the first Summit, USAID, the Department of
State, and other interagency partners have launched a series of
consultative processes to support governments in making verifiable
progress on their commitments. This includes launching a series of
multi-stakeholder platforms, called Democracy Cohorts, that bring
together non-governmental organizations, which bring specific expertise
and/or resources, with governments that demonstrate political will to
make progress on their Summit commitments.
Civil society stakeholders are also using their networks and reach
to raise awareness about countries' Summit commitments and provide the
information and analysis critical for holding governments accountable
for the commitments they have made. For instance, the International
Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (IDEA), an
intergovernmental organization headquartered in Sweden, is tracking and
providing analysis of country commitments and supporting broad
engagement on the Summit objectives via a dedicated Summit for
Democracy resources portal.
The State Department has also launched a government-to-government
structure, the Focal Group, that provides an opportunity for Summit-
participating governments to provide input on planning for the first
Summit and encourage partners to share progress on Summit commitments.
The first Focal Group meeting took place last month, and we expect
future quarterly meetings to provide opportunities for countries to
report on progress on commitments.
Question. Please describe the USAID Anti-Corruption Task Force's
scope of work.
What deliverables can the Anti-Corruption Task Force expect to
produce?
Answer. USAID's Anti-Corruption Task Force (ACTF) was activated by
Administrator Power on June 25, 2021 to coordinate USAID's anti-
corruption activities and align Agency policy and programming with the
Administration's new strategic directions and prioritization of anti-
corruption. The ACTF has functioned as a central coordinating body and
surge capacity, shaping the U.S. Government's and USAID's strategy,
priorities, and programmatic responses in the fight against corruption.
The ACTF is led by an Executive Director and Senior Advisor, who
reports directly to the Administrator, and is staffed by top experts
drawing from within and outside USAID. It is currently housed within
USAID's Bureau for Development, Democracy, and Innovation (DDI).
In its first year, the Task Force led an aggressive push to
revitalize and adapt anti-corruption efforts within USAID. Deliverables
included:
Shaping the first-ever U.S. Strategy on Countering
Corruption;
Designing and announcing a bold suite of anti-corruption
programs--including the Empowering Anti-Corruption Change
Agents Program, Defamation Defense Fund/Reporters Mutual
Insurance Fund, Combating Transnational Corruption Grand
Challenge, and Global Accountability Program--during the first
Summit for Democracy (S4D);
Expanding support to and collaboration with the Open
Government Partnership and Extractive Industries Transparency
Initiative to advance reforms in countries including Honduras,
Malawi, Moldova, and Zambia;
Launching the Anti-Corruption Response Fund and using it to
support reforms in the Dominican Republic and Democratic
Republic of the Congo;
Hosting the inaugural Anti-Corruption Evidence and Learning
Week and initiating new research on social and behavioral
approaches to anti-corruption, strategies for fighting
corruption in low political will environments, and addressing
COVID-enabled corruption; and
Showing solidarity with anti-corruption activists and
champions through dozens of public events, private meetings,
briefings, speeches, podcasts, op-eds, and blogs.
The ACTF is working to help key countries and reformers--from the
Northern Triangle to Eastern Europe--step up their efforts to fight
corruption by providing technical assistance, establishing new
programs, connecting reformers to other support structures and
partners, and showing political support and solidarity.
As the ACTF enters its second year, the task force is shifting from
setting this bold new direction to delivering on USAID's anti-
corruption vision. The focus going forward will be on 1) expanding and
adapting anti-corruption programming and increasing USAID's
responsiveness to windows of opportunity, backsliding, and
experimentation; 2) issuing concrete plans, processes, and frameworks
to drive implementation of the U.S. Strategy and related policies/
strategies; 3) commissioning and disseminating cutting-edge research,
evidence, and data on corruption to inform USAID's programmatic work
and resource allocation; 4) activating risk-based, targeted, and
proportional measures, tools, and practices to effectively safeguard
U.S. assistance from corruption; and 5) building USAID's long-term
capacity to influence policy outcomes, demonstrate thought leadership,
catalyze wide-ranging partnerships and coalitions, and fund cutting-
edge programs in the anti-corruption space.
Question. With the wide range of commitments or declaration of
intentions from participating countries, how can USAID appropriately
and accurately measure progress on shared goals?
Answer. USAID does not plan to independently measure country
commitments but is supporting the efforts of the Department of State
(DoS), National Security Council and civil society stakeholders to
develop appropriate and accurate approaches to measure progress on
shared goals without duplication of efforts. For example, USAID is part
of an informal group that gathers monthly to share information on
commitments with civil society and other multilateral partners.
Internally, USAID plans on using existing annual reporting systems
to collate relevant data and information regarding Presidential
Initiative for Democratic Renewal (PIDR) activities to ensure that
USAID is tracking the relevant indicators related to programming that
relate to county commitments. USAID plans on developing an internal
monitoring plan to efficiently and accurately track data related to its
programming under the PIDR. USAID is also working with Missions to
explore how they are best able to support the Year of Action and
partner commitments.
Question. It was recently announced that as part of the Summit for
Democracy, the USG would host ``civil society consultations'' on a wide
range of topics.
What do you expect the outcome of these meetings to be?
Does the USG plan to incorporate civil society organizations in the
second Summit for Democracy?
Answer. The U.S. Government will engage civil society in the Summit
through two processes:
1. Democracy Cohorts. The U.S. Government has launched a multi-
stakeholder platform, known as ``Democracy Cohorts,'' to
galvanize collective action toward fulfilling commitments in
areas of common interest. Democracy Cohorts will be co-led by
civil society organizations and governments. Cohorts will be
action-oriented, working together to further refine and
demonstrate progress toward implementing Summit commitments,
and potentially offering recommendations for new commitments or
other announcements for the second Summit. Governments are
encouraged to participate in one or more of these thematic
cohorts along with civil society organizations that have
particular issue expertise.
2. Civil society consultations. These consultations are designed to
be recurring, virtual convenings with a broad swath of
nongovernmental organizations, philanthropies, and the private
sector to discuss fulfillment of our first Summit commitments,
as well as inform the agenda and priorities for the second
Summit.
They also provide a forum for exploring ways that civil society and
government can work together to accelerate progress on key thematic
issues. To date, there have been thematic consultations on topics as
wide-ranging as Civic Space, Rule of Law, Technology for Democracy,
Government Transparency/Public Procurement, and Media. These
engagements have focused on asking civil society partners what
commitments they would like to see democracies make significant
progress in ahead of the next summit and how can the USG and civil
society work together to implement existing commitments.
USAID is working collaboratively with the State Department's Summit
for Democracy Cell to convene these consultations, which respond
directly to civil society demands for greater engagement and
involvement in the follow up to the first Summit.
We are also encouraging all Summit-participating countries to
engage with local civil society organizations as they follow through on
their first Summit commitments and develop new commitments for the
second Summit.
While second Summit planning is still in its early phases, the USG
also seeks to create the space for gathering their ideas for the
broader agenda and for their active participation in the second Summit
for Democracy.
Question. Multilateral Aid Review: Do you support a review of all
U.S. multilateral aid, especially given the recent news of ongoing
corruption and fraud within the UN system? Why or why not?
Answer. The U.S. Government is deeply concerned about allegations
of financial mismanagement and wrongdoing within the United Nations,
including the most recent allegations at the United Nations Office of
Project Services (UNOPS). USAID, working with the interagency, is
committed to holding all implementing partners accountable for
protecting U.S. taxpayer resources from the risks of waste, fraud, and
abuse.
The U.S. Government supports rigorous performance and evaluation
measures for multilateral entities to ensure U.S. taxpayer dollars are
aligned to achieve U.S. foreign policy objectives. The United States is
committed to ensuring efficiency and effectiveness in international
organizations to maximize their ability to deliver on their important
mandates.
Pursuant to USAID operational policy, the Agency reviews the
organizational capacity of individual multilateral organizations
(identified as Public International Organizations or ``PIOs'' within
Agency policy) to identify and help mitigate the risks of waste, fraud,
and abuse of USAID resources, prior to entering into funding
arrangements with such organizations. These reviews are informed by
external evaluations and international assessments of particular
multilateral organizations, including those conducted by the
Multilateral Organization Performance Assessment Network, of which the
U.S. Government is a member.
USAID coordinates closely with other U.S. departments and agencies
to help inform and advance U.S. Government oversight and reform
priorities for individual multilateral organizations, as well as for
the wider multilateral system, to help improve performance; increase
transparency and accountability; and advance the development,
humanitarian, and foreign policy interests of the United States.
Question. Indo-Pacific: The Pacific Islands have many development
needs, particularly in the energy and education sectors. What has USAID
done with the Pacific Islands in these areas in the past 5 years?
Answer. USAID has not historically programmed education activities
for the Pacific Islands. However, through existing activities we have
held project management certification courses to support Pacific Island
countries to access climate finance, and we have hosted joint trainings
with the Taiwan International Cooperation and Development Fund
(TaiwanICDF) on health and digital connectivity targeting key Pacific
Island country government staff and technical officers. Going forward,
we intend to increase our funding and investments in the region.
USAID's cooperation with Australia, New Zealand, Japan, and Papua
New Guinea has spurred joint initiatives such as the Papua New Guinea
Electrification Partnership (PEP), which aims to increase
electrification in Papua New Guinea from 13 percent of the population
to 70 percent by 2030, and we have partnered with Australia and Japan
to expand access to secure and reliable high speed digital connectivity
in Palau.
To support the multi-country PEP initiative, USAID recently
announced a 5-year, up to $57 million program to strengthen the
effectiveness and viability of PNG Power Limited, promote off-grid
models, strengthen energy regulatory systems, catalyze private-sector
investment, and conduct effective public outreach. The activity aims to
facilitate energy access for 200,000 households, which will be
supported through multiple strategies including the development of
micro-grids in remote communities. USAID will partner with private
sector companies to provide these energy solutions to communities.
USAID's Energy Regulatory Partnership Activity via the National
Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners also supports USAID PEP
by strengthening energy regulatory capacity, including creating the
regulatory framework for off-grid electrification.
Through the Trilateral Infrastructure Partnership, USAID and the
Department of the Interior are partnering with Japan, Australia, and
the Government of Palau to cofund an undersea fiber-optic spur to
Palau. The project will connect to a new U.S. International Development
Finance Corporation-financed undersea cable, the world's longest,
spanning from Singapore to the United States. While Palau is currently
served by an undersea cable, this second cable would provide additional
bandwidth, as well as critical and reliable redundancy that is not
sufficiently provided by satellite internet service to improve economic
growth and virtual education opportunities.
Question. What are our plans in the next 5 years to help the
Pacific Islands access energy resources and build energy
infrastructure?
Answer. The FY 2023 request will reinforce the U.S. Government
partnership with the Pacific Island Countries (PICs) to advance
strategic priorities in the region to address climate change,
accelerate the economic recovery from COVID-19, and promote democratic
resilience. FY 2023 resources will mobilize sustainable climate
finance; increase access to climate resilient, high-quality investment
and infrastructure; strengthen early warning systems and decision
support tools; improve the enabling environment; and adopt climate-
smart livelihoods.
We will continue deepening USAID's collaboration with Australia,
Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, Taiwan, and other like-minded
partners. We will also leverage our strong partnerships with regional
institutions, including the Pacific Islands Forum, the Secretariat of
the Pacific Regional Environment Programme, and the longstanding
Pacific Community.
U.S. assistance will support Papua New Guinea (PNG) to achieve its
renewable energy targets, through the PNG Electrification Partnership,
which will bolster the capacity of the country's energy utilities
corporation. Resources will expand electricity connections and increase
competition, promote new renewable energy models, including viable off-
grid electrification, and catalyze greater private sector investment in
Papua New Guinea's energy sector. Partnering with like-minded
countries--Australia, Japan, and New Zealand--and the private sector,
the USG will support PNG's goal of connecting 70 percent of its
population to electricity by 2030, up from 13 percent today.
Question. The Chinese Government has been very active in pursuing
development opportunities within the Pacific Islands. Does USAID have
any major development projects planned for the Pacific Islands in the
coming years? If so, what are they? If not, what are the regulatory,
resource, or logistical obstacles to carrying out large development
projects in this region?
Answer. USAID has been expanding our development work in the
Pacific Islands as part of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Strategy, while
working within the parameters of regional and bilateral funding
allocations, and is also leveraging partnerships with like minded
donors in the region to increase our work in the Pacific Islands. In
keeping with the objectives of the Asia Reassurance Act of 2018, USAID
programs across Asia and the Pacific strengthen democratic systems,
foster economic growth and private sector investment, and improve
natural resource management.
In order for U.S. companies to compete in the Indo-Pacific region
freely and fairly, they need citizen-responsive governance; respect for
human rights, fundamental freedoms, and democratic values. These
conditions help increase stability in a region of the world that is
home to the majority of humanity.
Among other achievements, USAID has successfully accelerated trade
and investment through streamlined procedures; confronted illegal,
unreported and unregulated fishing through partnerships with the
private sector, governments, and civil society; promoted open and
inclusive digital ecosystems; and bolstered the global health security
agenda in the Indo-Pacific.
We consider our Pacific neighbors to be essential partners in
fostering a free and open Indo-Pacific region. Our work is designed to
address the region's most pressing challenges, such as mitigating the
effects of climate change, supporting transparent and high-standard
infrastructure financing, driving digital connectivity, and fostering
good governance and sustainable development--including support for
coastal fishery management.
USAID is planning two new activities that will benefit the Pacific
Islands to leverage resources from like-minded partners to offer
sustainable alternatives for private sector-led financing and economic
growth. The first, USAID's new Digital Connectivity and Cybersecurity
Partnership (DCCP)-Pacific program that is expected to be awarded in
Fall 2022 will engage with private technology firms, internet platforms
and other service providers to advance access and connectivity in the
Pacific.
Secondly, USAID is designing a new climate finance activity to
support Pacific countries to access financing. It will draw on lessons
learned from USAID's existing climate finance activity to identify new
pathways to increase climate finance and investment for the Pacific
Islands to fully implement nationally determined contributions,
national adaptation plans, and similar expressions of national climate
priorities.
Question. What are the priority countries for USAID in the Pacific
Islands? How is USAID coordinating with State Dept. and DoD efforts on
these priority countries?
Answer. USAID is implementing development programs in 12 Pacific
Islands countries: Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), Fiji,
Kiribati, Nauru, Palau, Papua New Guinea (PNG), Republic of Marshall
Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu. USAID has
staff based in six of these countries--Fiji, PNG, Solomon Islands, FSM,
Marshall Islands, and Palau. As an integral member of the embassy
community in these Pacific countries, USAID works closely with the
inter-agency to carry out development programming and to ensure that
increased presence, programming, and messaging are used to strengthen
the U.S. Government's position and influence in the region. For
example, in Papua New Guinea, USAID is working closely with the U.S.
Indo-Pacific Command for procurement and deployment of vaccines and
other health commodities to support countries' COVID-19 response, and
to support disaster risk reduction and the fisheries sector. And in
Washington, USAID coordinates with the State Department directly as
well as with other USG agencies working on the Pacific Islands (such as
the Department of the Interior) through regular National Security
Council coordination meetings.
Question. The Solomon Islands are an area of particular concern
given reports of a potential Solomon Islands-China security assistance
agreement. What has USAID done in the past 5 years with the Solomon
Islands, and where are there opportunities to deepen U.S. engagement
with the Solomon Islands in the short-term?
Answer. Working closely with the Solomon Islands government, USAID
launched a 5-year, $25 million Strengthening Competitiveness,
Agriculture, Livelihoods and Environment (SCALE) Project in 2020. The
project works with five implementing partners to focus on economic
growth and trade in Solomon Islands, with specific emphasis on the
development of the agribusiness sector and improved management of the
forestry sector. Since the launch of SCALE in late 2020, USAID has been
in regular consultation with the Solomon Islands Ministry of National
Planning and Development Coordination and has collaboratively worked
with relevant line ministries.
USAID also has been supporting the health systems strengthening and
COVID-19 response in the Pacific including Solomon Islands since the
start of the pandemic. USAID has provided $52 million to prevent the
spread and mitigate the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic across the
Pacific Islands. USAID assistance contributes to testing capacity,
provides technical assistance and communication support for vaccination
campaigns, and addresses shortages in supplies. In Solomon Islands,
USAID facilitated U.S. donations of 153,270 Pfizer doses through COVAX
between November 2021 and April 2022.
In the area of disaster risk reduction, USAID works at the regional
level as well as with national and provincial governments and local
communities in the Solomon Islands to strengthen community resilience
to the effects of climate change, natural disasters, and severe weather
events. Since 2019, USAID has provided nearly $8 million in regional
Disaster Risk Reduction programming for the Pacific Islands region to
support community and government disaster planning, preparation, and
response, including a joint effort with the U.S. Geological Survey to
provide seismic monitoring equipment to improve the monitoring of
volcanic risks. Over the same time period, USAID provided an additional
$2.6 million for Disaster Risk Reduction activities specifically in the
Solomon Islands through the International Federation of the Red Cross
and World Vision Solomon Islands, as well as $100,000 to respond to
Tropical Cyclone Harold.
USAID also supports collaborative approaches to managing
biologically diverse marine and coastal resources in Solomon Islands as
part of international and regional programs. The Pacific Coastal
Fisheries Management and Compliance and Our Fish Our Future projects
launched in 2021 will have dedicated coordination mechanisms within
Solomon Islands to stimulate national engagement in regional efforts.
Through the Consortium for Elections and Political Process
Strengthening (CEPPS), USAID's Strengthening Democratic Governance
Pacific Islands (SDGPI) supports technical assistance to the Solomon
Islands Election Commission (SIEC); third party election oversight and
inclusive elections especially among marginalized groups; and youth
participation leadership and citizen participation in local governance.
USAID, in collaboration with the U.S. Embassy in PNG, is excited to
implement an activity to launch a dynamic advocacy-oriented American
Chamber of Commerce (AmCham) to facilitate trade and investment between
the United States and Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, and Vanuatu.
USAID is planning to award a Digital Connectivity and Cybersecurity
Partnership (DCCP) Activity in Fall 2022. DCCP-Pacific is expected to
be a new, 5-year, up to $24 million regional activity, subject to the
availability of funds, that will support the digital transformation of
Pacific Island countries. This activity would be available to identify
critical ICT support needs in Solomon Islands.
USAID is open to opportunities to strengthen marine security and
introduce longer-term development programming to build the resilience
of health systems in the Pacific to withstand routine shocks such as
natural disasters and outbreaks/pandemics. We will continue to engage
with our regional partners to identify needs in the Solomon Islands.
Question. How is USAID working with our allies and partners to
reduce redundancy and coordinate on development financing in the
Pacific Islands?
Answer. We will continue deepening USAID's collaboration with
Australia, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, Taiwan, and other like-
minded partners, working to identify areas of collaboration, overlap,
gaps, and/or potential leverage of resources. We will also leverage our
strong partnerships with regional institutions, including the Pacific
Islands Forum, the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment
Programme, and the longstanding Pacific Community, as well as our
partnerships with Pacific nations' governments, civil society, and
private sector.
USAID will continue to engage like-minded donors directly, in-
country, and through multilateral initiatives such as the Quadrilateral
Security Dialogue (Quad), U.S.-Taiwan Pacific Islands Dialogue, U.S.-
Japan-Australia Trilateral Infrastructure Partnership, the Trilateral
Pacific Security Dialogue, and others. In addition to the U.S. being
part of the PNG Electrification Partnership (PEP) with PNG, Australia,
Japan and New Zealand and the Palau undersea cable spur with Australia
and Japan, USAID also will continue to pursue opportunities to
establish relationships with multilateral financial institutions and
other new development partners who share our values and objectives in
the region.
Question. What is our engagement and coordination with the UK on
development in the Pacific Islands?
Answer. USAID has not engaged with the United Kingdom (UK) on
country-level coordination in the Pacific Islands. However, there is
strong interest from London for USAID and the UK to do so, and USAID is
in discussions with the UK following the release of its new strategy
for international development on May 16, 2022. The strategy includes a
focus on building resilient supply chains, humanitarian support, and
meeting climate and biodiversity goals in the Indo-Pacific region.
Question. What is our engagement and coordination with France on
development in the Pacific Islands?
Answer. USAID welcomes increased engagement and coordination with
France that supports the long-term resiliency and protects the
sovereignty of Pacific Island nations. The FRANZ Arrangement, a
partnership between France, Australia and New Zealand, is activated
during humanitarian responses in the Pacific region. It provides a one-
stop shop for host governments to provide requests for assistance,
allowing donors to coordinate who can cover which needs.
USAID has successfully coordinated with FRANZ to respond to the
recent volcanic eruption and tsunami in Tonga. USAID has observer
status in FRANZ, but welcomes opportunities to further expand our
engagement in the Arrangement for humanitarian assistance in the
Pacific Islands.
Question. What is our engagement and coordination with Japan on
development in the Pacific Islands?
Answer. The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) has a
longstanding relationship with Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs
(MOFA) and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). Together,
we actively coordinate development and humanitarian assistance
globally, including in the Pacific Island Countries (PICs). USAID has a
Senior Development Counselor in the U.S. Embassy Tokyo who is
responsible for engaging with the Government of Japan to ensure
Official Development Assistance policy and budgets are aligned and
coordinated to the extent possible with the U.S. to achieve maximum
results. USAID's Philippines, Pacific Islands and Mongolia field
office, based in Manila, manages staff in Papua New Guinea, Solomon
Islands, Fiji, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, Palau, and the
Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), collectively providing assistance
to 12 Pacific Island nations. These teams collaborate with Japan's 11
embassies that cover 16 countries and JICA teams in 10 countries for
project-level coordination.
USAID and Japan coordinate closely on transparent, high-quality
infrastructure development in the PICs, including through the Blue Dot
Network. Australia, Japan, and the U.S. have also committed to working
with FSM, Kiribati, and Nauru to build a new East Micronesia Cable,
which will provide improved quality and secure communications to
approximately 100,000 people across the three countries. At present,
USAID and Japan are in discussions on coordinating Disaster Risk
Reduction and reconstruction in Tonga after the devastating January 15,
2022, volcanic eruption.
Question. What is our engagement and coordination with Taiwan on
development in the Pacific Islands?
Answer. USAID is deeply engaged with Taiwan on development
collaborations in the Pacific Islands. The Taiwan International
Cooperation and Development Fund (TaiwanICDF) is providing up to
$600,000 to USAID's Pacific American Fund (the Fund), a 5-year grant
facility that addresses critical development challenges across 12
Pacific Island Countries. The Fund aims to improve the quality of life
in vulnerable communities and improve access to services in remote
communities by awarding grants on an open and competitive basis to
qualifying local, national, and internationally operating civil society
organizations, including private small-and-medium enterprises, non-
governmental organizations and institutions, universities, and faith-
based organizations.
Additionally, in Papua New Guinea, USAID partnered with the Taipei
Economic and Cultural Office (TECO) to donate wheelchairs to the
Government's National Department of Health. USAID partnered with TECO
to coordinate the distribution of wheelchairs to 11 health care clinics
throughout the capital.
Question. What is our engagement and coordination with Australia on
development in the Pacific Islands?
Answer. In July of 2020, USAID and Australia's Department of
Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) signed a global memorandum of
understanding (MOU) on development cooperation on the margins of the
Australia-U.S. Ministerial Consultations (AUSMIN). The 5-year MOU
focuses on advancing an open, inclusive, prosperous, and secure Indo-
Pacific region--and it fits within the Administration's broader efforts
to, in partnership with allies and partners, advance an affirmative
vision for the region and enhance American global engagement around the
world. USAID's coordination and collaboration with Australia spans
across several sectors, including in democracy and governance, digital
connectivity, and energy.
We enjoy close coordination with Australia in the Pacific Islands
as one of our strongest likeminded development partners. We regularly
coordinate at both the field and Washington level on the most pressing
challenges facing the Pacific Islands. This partnership has been
expanding in recent years to include coordination in COVID-19
assistance, including vaccines, infrastructure development, renewable
energy, climate, and good governance.
Through the Trilateral Infrastructure Partnership (TIP), we are
partnering with Australia and Japan to finance the estimated $30
million undersea cable to Palau that will provide reliable and secure
connectivity. We are also partnering with Australia alongside Japan and
New Zealand to increase Papua New Guinea's (PNG) electricity access
from 13 to 70 percent by 2030 through the PNG Electrification Project.
We are also working together through the Quad Infrastructure
Coordination Group to align our infrastructure programming to
strengthen the infrastructure enabling environment in the region, as
well as improve project bankability and mobilize investment. In the
governance sector, we coordinate with Australia to provide election
support across the Pacific Islands, especially important with upcoming
elections in July in PNG.
Australia is also interested in enhancing our cooperation on
climate, building on USAID's expertise in mobilizing climate finance in
the Pacific through our Climate Ready activity. USAID has worked
closely with Australia through the Quad Vaccine Experts Working Group
to support COVID-19 efforts in PNG with funding, technical assistance
and vaccines. Furthermore, USAID has expanded its footprint in the
Indo-Pacific region, with our first-ever Senior Development Counselor
for Australia having arrived in Canberra in August 2021 to assist in
building out our development presence in the region.
Question. What is our engagement and coordination with New Zealand
on development in the Pacific Islands?
Answer. New Zealand is one of USAID's strongest development
partners in the Pacific region. To improve and enhance devolvement
outcomes and donor coordination, as part of the U.S. Government's
Pacific Pledge, USAID is now present in Papua New Guinea, Solomon
Islands, Fiji, Federated States of Micronesia, Marshall Islands, and
Palau.
USAID has also expanded its footprint in the Indo-Pacific region,
with the notable addition of our first-ever Senior Development
Counselor based in Australia. The incumbent serves as the primary point
of contact for donor coordination with Australia's development
structures in Canberra and we have proposed expanding the position to
fill a similar role for New Zealand.
USAID also coordinates and engages with New Zealand through a
number of multilateral modalities. This includes UN organizations and
bodies as well as more ad-hoc groups such as the Trilateral Pacific
Security Dialogue.
Question. Is USAID regularly engaged in discussions about the
Administration's proposed Indo-Pacific Economic Framework?
Answer. USAID is engaged with our interagency counterparts to
identify opportunities for USAID programs to advance the Indo-Pacific
Economic Framework. IPEF is designed to address the economic challenges
of the 21st century such as developing rules for the digital economy,
ensuring secure and resilient supply changes, investing in clean energy
infrastructure and the clean energy transition, increasing
transparency, and fighting corruption. USAID will work with the
interagency, other donors, and partners in the region to address these
challenges.
Question. What role will USAID play in the implementation of the
Indo-Pacific Economic Framework?
Answer. USAID has Mission experts on the ground in current IPEF
countries, India, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Vietnam, with
programs that address many of the issues under the pillars of the Indo-
Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF). USAID's in-country experts
collaborate with host country governments, civil society actors and the
private sector to design and implement activities to advance the goals
of the IPEF. We also have strong working relationships with regional
institutions such as the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) and
the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), with whom we
provide world-class technical assistance, and have been exploring how
to do more to bridge South and Southeast Asia connectivity through the
Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral and Economic Cooperation
(BIMSTEC).
Leveraging our teams on the ground across the region, USAID stands
ready to utilize our development programs and partners as well as new
tools to analyze and act upon data, leveraging our Inter-agency PRC
Economic Influence Dashboard to target and to provide technical
assistance to host governments, bilateral and regional institutions,
and to assist with any outreach.
______
Responses of Ms. Samantha Power to Questions
Submitted by Senator Benjamin L. Cardin
Question. The U.S.-Russia Investment Fund (TUSRIF): I expect you
are familiar with the family of Enterprise Funds that were created by
USAID's Bureau for Europe and Eurasia (E&E) over the years to jump-
start the emergence of democratic capitalism in the formerly communist
countries of Europe and Eurasia and the follow-on Legacy Foundations
that have emerged to operate as philanthropies afterwards.
As you know, there is an investment account belonging to The U.S.-
Russia Investment Fund (TUSRIF) that holds around $153 million. There
has been a bureaucratic impasse for more than a decade that has
effectively frozen this account. The follow-on foundation related to
Russia, the U.S. Russia Foundation (USRF) has been operating for years,
supporting groups, individuals and projects to promote the rule-of-law
and democratic capitalism in Russia with an endowment that is now
around $150 million. I understand it spends about $5 to 6 million per
year on grants and programs. It also benefits from the earnings on the
other $150 million that belongs to the now-dormant TUSRIF. We can leave
for another discussion an assessment of whether and how the USRF is
able to do worthwhile work in support of rule-of-law in Russia these
days.
But in this urgent moment, it would seem that the `frozen' $153
million in the TUSRIF account should be moved as soon as possible to
support the coming reconstruction of Ukraine. The Subcommittee on State
Department and USAID management would like to work with you to figure
out how to make this happen, moving the funds to support the
reconstruction of Ukraine. If you need a change in the law or would
like to present a Congressional Notification that will make this
happen, we would be pleased to collaborate with you.
What is your proposal for how to make this $153 million available
for the reconstruction of Ukraine?
Answer. After Russia's further invasion of Ukraine, USAID
immediately accelerated review of options to potentially utilize TUSRIF
reflows to support Ukraine's critical needs. USAID received a proposal
from TUSRIF recommending the transfer of $100 million of TUSRIF reflows
to the Western Newly Independent States Enterprise Fund (WNISEF), and
recommended that the remaining $53 million go to the U.S.-Russia
Foundation (USRF). USAID is exploring the feasibility of utilizing
these funds to help address the massive needs created by Russia's
brutal invasion and destruction of Ukraine. We believe there is a
unique opportunity to utilize TUSRIF reflows in a way that supports
private sector development in Ukraine and Moldova, which should remain
the priority for the use of these funds. We are also exploring the
potential that a portion of these funds could also be utilized by USRF
to support needs tied to Russia. USAID met with the leadership of
TUSRIF, USRF, and WNISEF recently to discuss these organizations'
recent work, and USAID has recently received (at our request) more
detailed information from both USRF and WNISEF on how they would
utilize the funds. We look forward to working with the relevant
committees of jurisdiction to discuss how best to utilize these funds.
Question. Humanitarian Crises: The world currently faces a number
of humanitarian crises, many of which have been exacerbated by climate
change and the economic disruptions COVID-19 pandemic. Conflicts in
Ukraine, Yemen, Syria, Ethiopia, Afghanistan, and the Sahel region of
West Africa, just to name a few, have displaced millions of people and
left many at risk of hunger and disease. UN humanitarian agencies, such
as the World Food Program (WFP), UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), UN
Children's Fund (UNICEF), and UN Population Fund (UNFPA) can play an
essential role in providing lifesaving food and nutrition assistance,
shelter, health care, and educational support to the world's most
vulnerable people.
How do these agencies interact with and enhance the U.S.'s own
efforts to respond to humanitarian emergencies?
How do we ensure that these entities are adequately resourced and
able to meet their expansive and critically important mandates?
Answer. The United States is the single largest donor of
humanitarian assistance worldwide. Much of this assistance flows
through United Nations (UN) humanitarian agencies to provide life-
saving food and nutrition assistance, health programs, protection
services, resilience-building activities, services for refugees, and
other crucial programs that help vulnerable people. The work of UN
agencies is critical to achieving U.S. humanitarian and foreign policy
goals, including saving lives, stabilizing communities affected by
emergencies, reducing disaster risk and vulnerability to future crises,
and supporting early recovery. Robust funding for these agencies,
available early in the fiscal year and responsive to humanitarian needs
on the ground, is one important way Congress can help ensure adequate
and effective resourcing for these agencies. At the same time, the U.S.
Government acknowledges that it cannot address these issues alone, and
continues to engage with other donors to encourage increased funding
contributions to the UN humanitarian agencies.
Question. USAID Assistance to Colombia: What is your assessment of
Colombia's efforts to reduce coca cultivation and implement the 2016
peace accord?
How is USAID adjusting its programming to improve the effectiveness
of those efforts?
Answer. The 2016 Peace Accord between Colombia and the FARC was a
historic achievement and remains the country's best tool for advancing
a durable, inclusive end to decades of conflict. The connection between
implementing the Accord and reducing coca is best highlighted by the
fact that 95 percent of Colombia's coca is found in the 170
municipalities prioritized for peace implementation. To achieve its
promises, the Accord requires sustained budgetary, political, and
institutional support, especially in the implementation of the Accord's
Ethnic and gender provisions. Coca is antithetical to peace, and for
this reason the U.S. and Colombia are focused on a holistic approach to
fighting narcotics and bolstering rural prosperity that recognizes the
importance of drug supply reduction, rural security, justice, economic
development, and environmental protection, as announced (https://
www.whitehouse.gov/ondcp/briefing-room/2021/10/25/the-white-house-
releases-details-of-the-new-holistic-u-s-colombia-counternarcotics-
strategy/) at the conclusion of the October 2021 High-level Dialogue.
peace accord implementation
USAID's support to peace implementation has been vital. Our
assistance is closely aligned with the Accord's Rural Development,
Transitional Justice, and Ethnic Inclusion chapters. With regard to the
Rural Development Chapter, USAID has made implementation of Colombia's
own Territorially-Focused Development Programs (PDETs) the centerpiece
of our support under the firm belief that addressing the rural-urban
divide is the best path for Colombia out of violent conflict. In
support of the Ethnic chapter, we are implementing a $60 million
program to bolster ethnic inclusion. We have also made direct awards to
Afro-Colombian and Indigenous organizations, allowing them to implement
their own vision of development. On transitional justice, we have
increased our assistance to help Colombia reconcile and move beyond
past atrocities and establish consequences for transgressions committed
on all sides during the state's conflict with the FARC. USAID
assistance has helped accelerate cases in the Special Jurisdiction for
Peace (or JEP) and better protect the brave witnesses who come forward
to share their testimony.
USAID assistance for land titling, financial inclusion, expansion
of the Colombian State, and rapid response community development
projects directly supports the Rural Development chapter and is
bringing tangible benefits to conflict-affected communities throughout
rural Colombia. USAID's more nimble and flexible programs help pave the
way for, and mobilize, much larger Colombian Government investments in
the municipalities selected for peace resources.
new approach on counter-narcotics
As noted above, the U.S. and Colombia are piloting a
counternarcotics strategy that integrates public security, supply
reduction, economic development, and environmental protection. The
strategy aims to expand state presence and licit economic opportunities
while strengthening communities weakened by decades of conflict.
USAID programs complement much larger Colombian investments in
support of licit crops and livelihoods, land formalization, local
government strengthening, rule-of-law, human rights, and environmental
protection efforts. We work in close coordination with these Colombian
partners in the public and private sector, as well as with colleagues
across the U.S. Government, especially State Department International
Narcotics and Law Enforcement Bureau (INL). Better sequencing and
coordination defines this new partnership effort.
Another important adjustment under this new holistic approach is
the addition of a strong focus on environmental protection and
combating environmental crimes, many of which are perpetrated by the
same illegal actors responsible for coca. Finally, together with
Colombian and USG colleagues, we have defined new metrics of success
beyond ``hectares eradicated.'' As the White House Office of National
Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) announced (https://www.whitehouse.gov/
ondcp/briefing-room/2022/05/04/ondcp-welcomes-new-holistic-u-s-
colombia-counternarcotics-metrics/) recently, measures of citizen
security, land titles, areas under environmental protection, in
addition to coca metrics, will allow us to measure progress across the
full range of this holistic effort.
USAID is fully integrated with larger U.S. Government programs with
INL, the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), and the U.S. Department of
Justice, coordinated at the Washington level by ONDCP. Together, these
agencies are piloting this whole-of-government approach in three target
municipalities where violence is extreme and integrated approaches can
have tangible, measurable impact with a view toward replication over
time with success building on success.
Question. USAID Assistance to Sudan: In October 2021, following the
latest military takeover in Sudan, the Administration ``paused'' the
delivery of $700 million in FY2021 ESF funds for the country. In early
April, however, the State Department asserted that the United States
``stands ready to resume paused assistance once a credible civilian-led
government is in place.''
What is USAID's position on redirecting the funds intended for
Sudan to other global priorities?
If the funds are redirected, how does the Administration envision
meeting its commitment to resume the paused assistance if Sudan returns
to a democratic transition?
Answer. Following the October 25 military takeover, the
Administration paused the delivery of $700 million in FY 2021 ESF funds
pending a review of programs that directly supported the government.
Following that review, all assistance was redirected away from
supporting the de facto government led by the military.
USAID and the State Department are currently engaging with Congress
on the plans for the $700 million and have come up with a plan that
would obligate approximately $280 million this fiscal year. This
includes $108 million for USAID that has already been notified to
Congress; $99 million for USAID that has yet to be notified for
transition and stabilization programs (Office of Transition
Initiatives), peace building in the peripheries, democracy, human
rights and governance, and food security and resilience (which would
bring the total to $207 million for USAID); and $73 million for the
State Department, of which a portion for the Bureau of Democracy, Human
Rights, and Labor has been notified. These figures are not yet set, and
the dialogue will continue; it is possible the amounts may change
modestly depending on the outcome of those discussions. Through this
funding, the United States Government aims to contribute to conditions
under which Sudan could return to a democratic transition.
Redirection of funds is being discussed with the interagency and
Congressional committees.
Question. The crisis in Ethiopia: Ethiopia, in the midst of
political strife and ethnic violence, is experiencing one of the worst
famines to occur in a decade, with almost 350,000 Tigrayans at risk of
starvation.
How has the Ethiopian Government's refusal to verify the famine
impeded the work of your agency to provide much needed aid to
Ethiopians, and
How successful has USAID been in facilitating regular deliveries of
humanitarian aid in recent weeks?
Answer. The crisis in northern Ethiopia remains one of the worst
humanitarian crises in the world. In Tigray alone, more than 90 percent
of people need aid, while across Afar, Amhara and Tigray as many as 1
million people are projected to face famine-like conditions by June. We
have seen some of the most significant obstruction of humanitarian
assistance in the world in the northern Ethiopia crisis. It is this
consistent lack of access that has also limited our ability to gather
the evidence necessary to support an official famine declaration.
However, we know from our partners that high levels of severe food
insecurity persist, there are rising levels of acute malnutrition, and
hunger-related deaths have occurred.
In recognition of the dire conditions on the ground, we and the
humanitarian community are pushing hard to scale up assistance and
prevent loss of life. There has been incremental progress in the easing
of access restrictions, and USAID is cautiously optimistic regarding
improvements to humanitarian access and the operation in northern
Ethiopia as a whole since the March 24 humanitarian truce. Following
nearly 4 months of road access blockages into Tigray, several
humanitarian convoys--comprising more than 250 trucks and fuel
tankers--arrived in Tigray by road as of early May. Although USAID is
encouraged by recent Ethiopian Government commitments that would
further increase the scale and frequency of trucks moving into Tigray,
the current pace of movement is not enough to meet needs. Aid workers
need significant, sustained, unconditional and unhindered humanitarian
road access as well as electricity, telecommunications equipment, cash,
and fuel to conduct their life-saving work in order to prevent this
catastrophic situation from getting worse.
Question. Burma: The FY23 Burma foreign assistance request is
$109.1 million, which is 20 percent below the FY 2021 actual and
consistent with the FY22 request.
With the human rights situation worsening in Burma due to the
military coup, why did the Administration decrease the budget from FY21
actual by 20 percent?
How does this decrease impact USAID programs for FY23?
Answer. The U.S. stands with the people of Burma and as a result of
the ongoing coup, resources that would have supported the government
have been pivoted to expand work that supports the people. USAID
continues to support the people of Burma and their aspirations for a
democratic future, including local civil society actors fighting for
civil and political rights in the face of military authoritarianism.
The FY 2023 request will enable support to strengthen civil society
capabilities to guard democratic space and human rights, maintain an
independent media, promote peace and reconciliation in conflict-
affected regions, and improve health and food security. Given the
current operating environment in Burma since the start of the ongoing
military coup, the request focuses on strategic support to civil
society actors and non-regime institutions and actors across all
sectors.
Programs will continue to work to strengthen the ability of civil
society to guard democratic space, foster food security, support
independent media, and human rights. Further assistance will serve to
maintain and improve the health of the people of Burma as their country
recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic and addresses various impacts of
the coup on the people of Burma.
______
Responses of Ms. Samantha Power to Questions
Submitted by Senator Jeanne Shaheen
Question. As you know, I traveled to the Western Balkans last month
with Senator Murphy and Senator Tillis. The region has already been
struggling and every one of the countries faces massive outflows of
youth who are leaving to pursue better economic opportunities--
otherwise known as the brain drain. The Biden administration has not
requested any additional funds for the Western Balkans region.
Given the mounting challenges we face in the region, what is the
Administration's strategy to maintain peace and stability in the
region? With additional funds, how could USAID increase our ability to
support Bosnia and Herzegovina's pro-EU aspirations, tackle youth
unemployment and counter its considerable corruption problem?
Answer. As you rightfully note, the Western Balkans have faced
increasing pressure from the economic fallout of the pandemic, a lack
of opportunities for young people to contribute to the economy or
democratic change, protracted ethno-nationalist tension, endemic
corruption, foreign malign actors, and now the regional ramifications
of Russia's brutal war on Ukraine. The Biden administration's FY 2023
request of $104M reflects a $4 million increase for the sub-region from
the FY 2021 enacted levels.
With generous bipartisan Congressional support, in cooperation with
our European Union partners, USAID funds a range of bilateral and
regional initiatives that work in concert to address these interrelated
challenges. At the bilateral level, USAID's programming is designed to
generate new economic opportunities, foster civic engagement, and
address corruption by enhancing the transparency of government
institutions while also arming citizens with the information and skills
needed to push for change. In response to the pandemic, USAID has
helped partner countries in the Western Balkans to obtain vaccines and
medical equipment, institute hybrid learning, and enable enterprises to
access financing and pivot to an increasingly digital economy. At the
regional level, USAID is pursuing regional economic cooperation and
constructive interaction between the countries of the region because it
is critical for building the foundation for regional stability, peace,
and prosperity through private sector development, natural resources
management, supporting regional energy market integration, trade, and
building connections across ethnic and political divides through
peacebuilding and reconciliation programming.
The challenges discussed above are particularly acute in Bosnia and
Herzegovina (BiH). USAID assistance in BiH supports important anti-
corruption, youth engagement, civil society, economic growth, and
peacebuilding and reconciliation efforts to address the key obstacles
that continue to hinder BiH's forward progress. At the core of USAID's
strategy is the agency's work to mitigate and disrupt the corrupt
networks, practices, and political patronage systems that reward
polarization and division and impede BiH's path to EU accession. Your
continued commitment to the Western Balkans will be critical to
ensuring all of these initiatives deliver results to the people of the
region and the American people.
Question. Corruption and its corrosive effects are the root of the
forces driving these young people away from the region. Additionally,
if Putin is stalled in Ukraine, he will look elsewhere to sow chaos and
Putin's fingerprints of malign influence could be found throughout the
Western Balkans.
What specific activities is USAID undertaking in the region to
combat corruption and support good governance? How is the war in
Ukraine and the sanctions against Russia impacting the Western Balkans,
and what more should we be doing more to mitigate that impact?
Answer. Endemic corruption is indeed one of the fundamental
challenges preventing the Western Balkans from making continued
progress towards greater Euro-Atlantic integration. Corruption also
opens the door for foreign malign actors like the Kremlin, which seek
to sow dysfunction, undermine sovereignty, and manipulate the countries
of the region for their own purposes.
USAID is shoring up government institutions to prevent, identify,
and prosecute corruption and supporting independent media and civil
society to investigate and counter corruption. For example, in Bosnia
and Herzegovina (BiH), USAID helps prosecutors and judges tackle
corruption and strengthens the organizational capacity of the High
Judicial and Prosecutorial Council. And this year, a local media
partner in BiH broke several stories about fraud, waste, and abuse
related to the pandemic, resulting in an investigation by the Sarajevo
Cantonal Prosecutor's Office and subsequent arrests. Grassroots civil
society activists supported by USAID have also been successful in
identifying and calling out corruption in their communities, resulting
in legal and legislative actions to halt the illegal construction of
environmentally damaging small-scale hydropower plants. In Albania and
North Macedonia, USAID is designing new anti-corruption programs
tailored to each context. In Kosovo, with USAID support, all public
procurement activities, including auditing, are now managed digitally
through an electronic procurement platform, enabling greater
transparency and accountability in procurement processes. In the
Western Balkans, USAID supports the active engagement of local
communities, including marginalized groups, to ensure their voices are
heard by their local governments. Similarly, USAID supports civil
society organizations in their watchdog roles. Across the region, USAID
fosters the financial viability and skills of independent media,
including investigative journalism, to ensure citizens are informed
about the forms corruption takes in their countries and across borders.
The world is only beginning to understand the impact of Russia's
brutal war on Ukraine on the Western Balkans. The rise in energy and
fertilizer prices instigated by the Kremlin is already impacting the
agriculture sector in North Macedonia and Albania. In the immediate
term, USAID is developing plans to boost food production and the
resilience of the sector through investments in productivity and
modernization, the continued implementation of food quality and safety
standards, the improvement of vertical integration within value chains,
and the advancement of marketing and export strategies. In addition,
USAID supported a rapid assessment of the economic impact on the region
and will be utilizing this analysis to ensure current and future
programming are responsive to these shifts.
Putin's war reaffirms the need for development programs to address
the Kremlin's longstanding methods to undermine and control, and
increasingly threaten the region's stability. USAID will continually
review and tailor our approach and programming to ensure the agency is
responsive to the Kremlin's shifting tactics, including its shift from
malign influence to full scale, unremitting, violent aggression.
______
Responses of Ms. Samantha Power to Questions
Submitted by Senator Edward J. Markey
Question. The development assistance budget request for Fiscal Year
2023 states that, ``programming in Bangladesh will include
strengthening democratic governance, combating climate change,
supporting Rohingya host communities, and investing in agriculture and
food security.'' Can you provide details regarding what type of support
will be provided specifically for the communities hosting the Rohingya?
Answer. Through bilateral assistance, USAID/Bangladesh has
supported activities to help host communities bolster livestock and
fisheries services, enhance water and sanitation, counter trafficking
in persons and violent extremism, and improve natural resource
management for host communities in Cox's Bazaar and Bandarban
Districts. USAID also provides alternative livelihood opportunities,
repairs and refurbishes cyclone shelters including over 200 in host and
impacted communities, promotes agricultural mechanization, and
strengthens agricultural value chains.
Since 2020, USAID has been partnering with three Bangladeshi NGOs
in Cox's Bazar to mitigate depletion of natural resources and preserve
biodiversity. During the period, the host community members have
planted nearly 163,000 saplings on homesteads, institutional lands, and
along public roadways. USAID's programming in Cox's Bazar District also
includes two grants to local partners to support host community women
and youth through activities to combat child marriage and provide
livelihood support and training. Lastly, USAID supports conflict
sensitivity training in Cox's Bazar host communities to reduce tensions
with Rohingya refugees. Through a grant to the UN Development Program
(UNDP), USAID also monitors overall political and violent extremism
tendencies in Cox's Bazar. USAID is closely tracking the recent reports
on increased violence in Cox's Bazar.
Question. The Fiscal Year 2023 budget request does not include
details on funding needs for the Rohingya response in Bangladesh
specifically. As the security situation in Cox's Bazaar continues to
deteriorate with growing limitations on movement within the camps and
to adjacent areas, and with restrictions on formal and community-led
education initiatives as well as on income-generating opportunities,
can you share what USAID's Fiscal Year 2023 funding needs for the
Rohingya response are? How will the U.S. leverage its support as well
as its broader relationship with Bangladesh to improve conditions in
Cox's Bazaar?
Answer. Bangladesh: USAID will continue to prioritize lifesaving
humanitarian interventions for Rohingya living in the Bangladesh
refugee camps of Cox's Bazar, as well as support for the surrounding
host communities. USAID will focus on its lead responsibility, in
refugee scenarios, to provide food assistance and nutrition programming
within camps, in close partnership with the Department of State's
Bureau for Population, Migration, and Refugees (State/PRM). USAID will
provide additional assistance within host communities, including
protection services; economic growth; water, sanitation, and health
(WASH) services; natural resource management; and disaster risk
reduction efforts in Cox's Bazar and Bandarban districts.
USAID Deputy Administrator Isobel Coleman recently returned from a
joint trip to Bangladesh with State/PRM, where they continued to push
the Government of Bangladesh to expand education and livelihood
opportunities for refugees in Cox's Bazar, as well as to increase
freedom of movement. Opportunities in these spaces can start to address
the security concerns presented by an idle population in the camps and
place the Rohingya in a better position for either returns or
resettlement as the response evolves. The United States also remains
committed to finding durable solutions for Rohingya refugees, until
such time, given the military coup d'etat and related ongoing violence
in Burma, that conditions become possible for voluntary, safe,
dignified, and sustainable returns that are based on the informed
consent of those who have been forcibly displaced. USAID will continue
to work with the Department of State to explore opportunities to work
with the international community to advocate for alternate solutions.
Even with these concerns, USAID support for emergency food programming
continues to provide the Rohingya refugee population with food
vouchers, nutrition assistance, and disaster risk reduction
programming.
The United States remains the largest bilateral donor to the
Rohingya refugee response in Bangladesh, contributing nearly $1.4
billion in humanitarian assistance since the influx of refugees began
in August 2017. USAID remains committed to supporting the Rohingya
population in Bangladesh in Fiscal Year (FY) 2023. USAID continues to
work closely with like-minded donors to address the needs of the
Rohingya and to engage the Government of Bangladesh on these pressing
issues.
Burma: USAID will continue to prioritize life-saving humanitarian
assistance for displaced and conflict-affected people, including
Rohingya, in Burma. More than 952,000 people remain displaced in Burma
due to the country's humanitarian crisis, which includes nearly 606,000
people who have been displaced since the February 1, 2021, military
coup d'etat. Further, the military continues to target its attacks on
civilians and public spaces and to escalate conflict with ethnic groups
and other marginalized peoples while impeding humanitarian access to
internally displaced persons in camps and communities in Rakhine where
several hundred thousand Rohingya remain.
As the humanitarian crisis in Burma will likely continue to worsen
into FY 2023 and continue to exacerbate the Rohingya crisis, USAID will
prioritize emergency food, nutrition, shelter, health, WASH, and
protection assistance in Sagaing, Magway, Tanintharyi Regions and Chin,
Kachin, Rakhine, Shan, Kayin, Kayah, and Mon states.
With Russia's war in Ukraine negatively impacting global supply
chains and straining humanitarian resources, needs will continue to
severely outpace resources for acutely food insecure, conflict-affected
populations in Burma. USAID will require FY 2023 funding to procure,
transport, and distribute food commodities and other supplies to
affected communities throughout Burma. It is imperative that the United
States and like-minded donors continue to provide funding for life-
saving assistance and to protect hard-won development gains while there
is still a window to do so.
Question. The Administration's Fiscal Year 2023 budget request
recognizes deteriorating conditions and widespread violence in Haiti
and the need for robust international assistance. However, nearly 1
year after the assassination of President Jovenel Moise, Haiti
continues to experience a political power vacuum, its democratic
processes have been paused, and corruption is rampant.
How will USAID ensure that our assistance to Haiti is having the
intended effect of creating economic resilience, democratic stability,
and citizen security in Haiti?
Answer. USAID works to build a stable and economically viable
Haiti, focusing on improving health and education outcomes, advancing
economic and food security, and improving the independence and
accountability of government institutions. Our development assistance
provides economic opportunity through inclusive, environmentally
sustainable agriculture development and micro-, small-, and medium-
sized business development and improves the economic and environmental
resilience of communities. USAID health programs work to fight
infectious disease and improve primary health care services and
increase access to water and sanitation services. USAID also seeks to
strengthen the organizational capacity to respond to natural and
manmade emergencies and advance citizen-responsive government
institutions.
Haiti is especially vulnerable to shocks and stresses--including
hurricanes and tropical storms, droughts, floods, and earthquakes,
socio-economic and political instability, and ongoing environmental
degradation related to economic exploitation of natural resources.
Since the assassination of Haiti President Jovenel Moise, the Haiti
Government has also struggled with the issue of Haitian gangs
establishing de facto control of parts of Port-au-Prince and in other
parts of the country. As a result, USAID's partners have faced many
operational challenges, including the threat of kidnapping, road
insecurity, and fuel shortages.
Within the democracy, rights, and governance program, we are
continuing to implement a program to address the continued
deteriorating situation in Haiti. Programming supports violence
prevention, youth engagement and empowerment, increasing services to
protect victims' legal and human rights as well as strengthening
systems to end trafficking. At this time, USAID is conducting a rule of
law assessment as well as a citizen security assessment to inform new
programming in these areas.
To provide support for citizen security, USAID is designing a new
activity that will coordinate closely with the State Department Bureau
for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) to
implement a Place-Based Strategy (PBS). The PBS consolidates USG
development assistance and security sector assistance into select,
high-risk municipalities to build police, municipal and community
capacities to prevent violence, curb the recruitment of youth into
gangs, and effectively respond to the consequences of gang violence.
The PBS addresses widespread insecurity through a multi-sectoral
approach that strengthens the capacity of the Haitian National Police
while also addressing the underlying drivers of violence, providing
licit alternatives to youth and an ``off-ramp'' to those wishing to
leave the gangs, and accessible support services for victims of
violence.
These programs and activities combined with other USG efforts will
support Haiti to build a better future for Haitians.
Question. As we discussed, Representative Velazquez and I
introduced a bill to create a resettlement pathway for climate
displaced persons. The October 2021 White House Climate Migration
Report recommended that the Executive branch work with Congress to
create such a legal pathway. Can you commit to work with my office and
the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to make that happen?
Answer. I deeply value the Senate Foreign Relations Committee's
support for USAID programs. I would refer you to the Department of
State's Bureau of Populations, Refugees, and Migration for further
information on legal pathways for climate displaced persons.
Question. Short of new legislative tools to address the fact that
most climate displaced persons do not meet the traditional definition
of ``refugees,'' would you advocate in the interagency for the United
States to do more to use existing immigration authorities such as
humanitarian parole, temporary protected status, and extending
educational opportunities for climate displaced persons?
Answer. USAID's Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance provides food
assistance to refugees and displaced persons; however, I refer you to
the Department of State and Department of Homeland Security for
information on the use of immigration authorities to support climate
displaced persons. I commit to engaging in interagency discussions on
this issue, including by contributing information on USAID's
humanitarian and development programs that may impact climate displaced
persons.
Question. I am very supportive of the Administration's almost $3
billion request to revitalize global democracy, including a more than
14 percent increase in funding for the East Asia and Pacific region.
How will USAID use this increase in funding to push back against the
authoritarian playbook of repression in the Indo-Pacific and make
investments in people-to-people exchanges, democracy promotion, rule of
law, and the protection of human rights?
Answer. The FY 2023 USAID request for the Indo-Pacific region,
which totals $1.3 billion across DA, ESF, and GHP-USAID accounts,
supports the implementation of the 2022 Indo-Pacific Strategy (IPS).
Thematically, USAID's contributions to advancing the U.S. vision for a
free and open Indo-Pacific falls into three key objectives that align
with the IPS pillars:
(1) Strengthening democratic institutions to support good
governance and human rights, which falls under freedom and openness.
For example, in Thailand, USAID, in partnership with Mars Petcare, a
U.S. pet food company, is equipping workers in the seafood and fishing
industry with digital tools that allow them to swiftly report abuse and
exploitation. This innovative mobile technology, which enables reliable
two-way communication with authorities beyond the normal cellular
range, has empowered fishery workers to report violations like human
trafficking and safety incidents.
(2) Fostering sustainable, inclusive, and transparent economic
growth, which supports the connectivity and prosperity pillars. For
example, USAID is deepening our long-standing partnership with and
support to ASEAN. We will further enhance the ASEAN Single Window, a
groundbreaking tool that is increasing trade efficiency by reducing
costs, timelines, and paperwork barriers. In 2020, the exchange of
electronic trade documents through the ASEAN Single Window boosted U.S.
goods and services trade with ASEAN estimated at $362.2 billion.
(3) Improving resilience to health and climate threats; which
supports the resilience pillar. In India, for instance, U.S. assistance
will advance India's role as a key regional clean energy partner,
building on previous successes, such as supporting India to revise its
cross-border power trade guidelines to increase regional power trade,
strengthening regional energy security and spurring investment in
diverse energy sources.
USAID remains an active partner to Pacific Island countries on
climate issues. In fact, USAID just launched two new projects to
conserve biodiversity and strengthen the resilience of coastal
fisheries and communities to the existential threats of worsening
weather disasters and rising sea levels. We are also deepening
partnerships with like-minded donors in the region, including Taiwan,
to further support sustainable development in the Pacific Islands.
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Letter From Senators Bill Hagerty and John Boozman to President Biden
Regarding High Fertilizer Prices, Dated March 16, 2020
[GRAPHICS NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
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Article From Foreign Policy Magazine Concerning Organic Farming
Experiment in Sri Lanka, Dated March 5, 2022
[GRAPHICS NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
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