USAID's Regional Development Mission for Asia (RDMA), in Bangkok, supports programs in China across several sectors.
USAID is helping China promote clean energy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. It is working with China to improve environmental law and environmental governance. Activities also will strengthen environmental due diligence among national agencies and the private sector and reduce China's environmental footprint.
Colombia is a middle-income country and one of the oldest democracies in Latin America. However, it has endured nearly half a century of intense armed conflict, perpetuated by widespread illegal drug production and trafficking.
Since 1999, Côte d’Ivoire has experienced numerous coups d’états and bloody civil conflicts. The current president was elected in free and fair elections, although his predecessor was forced from office. There is now hope for consolidation of the democratic transition and lasting stability. Historically prosperous, Côte d’Ivoire’s economy was significantly disrupted by the years of political turmoil. The country’s relatively good transportation and communications infrastructure, however, is a valuable asset.
“Cuba's future must be freely determined by the Cuban people. Sadly, that has not been the case for decades, and it is not the case today. The people of Cuba deserve the same rights, freedoms and opportunities as anyone else. And so the United States is going to continue supporting the basic rights of the Cuban people.” --President Barack Obama, December 19, 2011
USAID supports cooperation between the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot communities to reduce tensions and promote a climate that will foster reconciliation and a durable peace settlement on the long divided island.
In November 2011, the people of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) voted in their second national election since independence. While these elections are critically important in DRC, the country—with a population of over 71 million—faces multiple challenges. Due to the persistent presence of armed groups, ongoing insecurity continues to destabilize eastern DRC. Other challenges include rampant corruption, inadequate infrastructure and human resources, and a limited capacity to raise and manage revenues.
Djibouti's location in a conflict-prone region—with Yemen, Eritrea, Somalia and Ethiopia at its borders—combined with its commitment to peaceful, moderate views makes it a unique and strategic partner for the United States. Djibouti is home to the only warehouse, not based in the United States, that prepositions American food aid for Africa and Asia, thus reducing the delivery times to areas in need by 75 percent. Although a small country, it is making progress toward social and economic development.
For the past 50 years, USAID has been responding to the needs of the Dominican Republic. The Agency currently helps improve governance and reduce corruption across the country and supports the government's implementation of the Dominican Republic-Central America Free Trade Agreement. We also help small businesses and rural communities take advantage of free trade opportunities and employment generation, while protecting natural resources and biodiversity.
Through the East Africa regional program, USAID works across borders to strengthen food security, improve economic growth, prevent conflict, and improve health systems, with a particular focus on fighting HIV/AIDS. These activities span the Great Lakes region of Burundi, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Uganda, and the Horn of Africa region that includes Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, and Somalia.
USAID supports Ecuador’s development in areas such as education, health, environment, agriculture, micro-enterprise and others. Currently, USAID focuses on conservation of natural resources, particularly in biodiverse and high-carbon areas. USAID environmental programs have conserved hundreds of thousands of hectares of territory and helped tens of thousands of Ecuadorians increase their standard of living through better use of their natural resources.
For over three decades, the American people have helped to improve the quality of life for all Egyptians. Thirty-five years ago, Egypt was a low-income country with a stagnant economy. Today, despite the current economic crisis, Egypt has one of the most diversified economies in the Middle East. Per capita income and exports have increased. Infant mortality has decreased, youth literacy has increased, and utility services have expanded.
In El Salvador, USAID’s assistance focuses on promoting democracy and good governance, expanding and diversifying the economy, contributing to healthier and better educated people, and helping the country to recover from disasters.
USAID manages the bilateral assistance program in the strategic areas of democracy and governance, economic growth, and health and education. In addition, USAID's El Salvador mission manages the Central America Regional Program, which includes programs in the areas of economic growth, and democracy and governance.
Since 1992, USAID has emphasized projects in Georgia that strengthen democracy and governance, stimulate economic growth, improve education and health, help protect natural resources, and provide humanitarian relief during times of crisis. Such assistance has helped renovate schools, train nurses, increase the income of small farmers, and improve the delivery of basic services such as electricity.
USAID currently implements 48 projects that support Georgia’s transition to a free and prosperous democracy. These include initiatives to:
Ghana is a stable, democratic country with a free press, active civil society, independent judiciary and apolitical military. Ghana’s economy grew by 13.4 percent in 2011, the highest rate in the world. USAID and the Ghanaian Government are working together to generate prosperity and security for both the Ghanaian and the American people by increasing agricultural production, employment opportunities, and income for the poor, improving the quality of health services and education, and strengthening local government institutions.
USAID has identified two significant challenges to successful development in Guatemala: historic inequality that remains ingrained in Guatemalan society, and weak government that lacks the capacity to address insecurity and poverty. Each of these driving forces contributes to increased crime, high levels of poverty, and some of the lowest levels of health and education quality in Latin America. Guatemalans lack protection against organized crime, are vulnerable to natural disasters, and struggle to feed and educate their children.
For the first time since independence, Guinea finds itself at an optimistic crossroads, with concrete opportunities for political and socio-economic development. December 2010 saw the inauguration of the first democratically elected president in the country’s history, marking Guinea’s emergence from more than a half century of dictatorships and political repression.
In Guyana, USAID programs focus on health, economic growth, and democracy and governance.
The health program strengthens public health systems and works to ensure the availability of comprehensive care; enhances civil-society and private-sector responses to HIV/AIDS; provides HIV prevention services; and improves supply-chain management of drugs and other supplies.
Despite significant development challenges, the Government of Haiti and its people are determined to recover and move forward following periods of political unrest and the effects of natural disasters.
Haiti’s challenges were heightened significantly by the 7.0 magnitude earthquake that struck on Jan. 12, 2010, killing more than 230,000 people, displacing more than 1.5 million, and affecting more than 3 million. A cholera epidemic that broke out in October 2010 further challenged the post-earthquake environment.
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