[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 135 (Saturday, November 20, 2004)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2096]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         REGARDING H. RES. 863

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. SAM FARR

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Friday, November 19, 2004

  Mr. FARR. Mr. Speaker, according to the Foreign Assistance Act, U.S. 
foreign assistance: ``shall be used in support of, rather than 
substitution for, the self-help efforts'' of developing countries and 
``should focus on establishing and upgrading the institutional 
capacities of developing countries in order to promote long-term 
development.''
  Over 40 years have passed since the enactment of the 1961 Foreign 
Assistance Act, and countries throughout, the world still face hurdles, 
including: extreme poverty, hunger, disease, high unemployment, and 
civil unrest. The U.S. Government only has a limited amount of 
resources available for international development assistance, and we 
need to ensure that we spend every dollar in the most efficient way 
possible to help as many people as possible. I strongly believe that 
the most efficient way to distribute foreign assistance is through 
building local capacity.
  What exactly is local capacity building? Local capacity building can 
be defined as a continuous process where individuals, communities, 
organizations and governments improve their ability to understand and 
solve their development challenges in a sustainable way. Assistance 
means ``to give support'' . . . it doesn't mean do it yourself.
  The most effective foreign assistance tools are not necessarily 
tangible things like bulldozers and construction equipment, or hiring 
American contractors to do the job in-country, but a more powerful and 
inanimate tool: knowledge. The transfer of knowledge via technical 
assistance, training and education is what will create long-term, 
sustainable development. This transfer of technical skills, be it 
teaching basic business skills for small businesses to flourish, 
demonstrating how to build wells, explaining the importance of rotating 
crops, developing a judicial system that hews to the rule of law, or 
promoting an educational system that provides opportunities for both 
men and women, is considered local capacity building and is fundamental 
for sustainable development.
  Today, I am introducing a resolution that reaffirms the importance of 
local capacity building in U.S. foreign assistance programs. As my 
resolution illustrates, there is legal precedent and also considerable 
consensus within the development community that building local capacity 
is the key to creating long-term sustainable development.
  But building local capacity isn't just done on an individual level, 
it needs to be done on a societal level and a governmental 
institutional level. Problems like poor access to health care, lack of 
financial literacy, teacher training are long-term, institutional 
problems. They are not going to be solved by a one-time infusion of 
foreign aid. Education and training of citizens in the developing world 
doesn't evaporate when the political climate or funding level changes 
in the United States or an international NGO reaches its strategic 
goals and departs.
  The goal of local capacity building is to have individuals and 
governments take ownership of development programs and modify them to 
achieve lasting results. Where U.S. assistance can make a powerful 
difference is by providing the technical assistance and training to 
locals so that they are able to properly address their own problems. 
Communities can then take this knowledge and find ways to improve their 
own livelihoods on their own terms and in the appropriate cultural 
context.
  An excellent example of foreign assistance technology transfer is 
USAID's Coffee Corps program. The U.S. sends renowned U.S. coffee 
specialists to coffee producing countries to assist coffee farmers in 
establishing the highest quality beans that will receive a higher 
market value. This knowledge transfer stays with individual producers 
and helps create more wealth and development within a rural community.
  USAID has an excellent track record in promoting training programs 
for foreign aid recipients in key areas of economic development, and we 
need to recognize USAID's efforts and encourage other foreign 
assistance programs to push for a broadening of the usage of local 
capacity building within international development.
  U.S. foreign assistance must invest heavily in programs that ``train 
the trainers'', promote educational and cultural exchanges, and fully 
fund grassroots development programs like the Peace Corps. The 
Millennium Challenge Corporation, MCC, appears to be making strides in 
promoting more sustainable development programs, but we must mandate 
that a country's commitment to building local capacity is a factor when 
the MCC considers a country's eligibility for funds.
  I served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Colombia during the 1960s, and 
our mantra was: ``Work yourself out of a job.'' Peace Corps volunteers 
work to educate their counterparts in `best practices' in areas such as 
agriculture, health, education, small business and IT development. 
These counterparts are then able to teach these new skills to other 
community members, enabling local residents to develop and sustain a 
better quality of life. ``Work yourself out of a job,'' shouldn't just 
be the mantra of Peace Corps volunteers. It should be reaffirmed as the 
central tenet of U.S. development assistance so that citizens in 
developing countries gain the knowledge to improve their lives and, in 
turn, improve the world.

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