Mission and Values
MISSION
Create a more secure, democratic, and prosperous world for the benefit of the American people
and the international community.
VALUES
Loyalty: Commitment to the United States and the American people.
Character: Maintenance of high ethical standards and integrity.
Service: Excellence in the formulation of policy and management practices
with room for creative dissent. Implementation of policy and management practices, regardless
of personal views.
Accountability: Responsibility for achieving United States foreign policy goals
while meeting the highest performance standards.
Community: Dedication to teamwork, professionalism, and the customer perspective.
USAID History
On September 4, 1961, the U.S. Congress passed the Foreign Assistance Act, which reorganized
the U.S. foreign assistance programs, including separating military and non-military aid. The Act
mandated the creation of an agency to administer economic assistance programs, and on November 3,
1961, President John F. Kennedy established the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).
USAID became the first U.S. foreign assistance organization whose primary emphasis was on
long-range economic and social development assistance efforts. Freed from political and military
functions that plagued its predecessor organizations, USAID was able to offer direct support to
the developing nations of the world.
The Agency unified already existing U.S. aid efforts, combining the economic and technical
assistance operations of the International Cooperation Agency, the loan activities of the
Development Loan Fund, the local currency functions of the Export-Import Bank, and the
agricultural surplus distribution activities of the Food for Peace program of the U.S.
Department of Agriculture (USDA).
While some could argue that the creation of USAID simply represented a bureaucratic reshuffling,
the Agency, and the legislation creating it, represented a re-commitment to the very purposes
of overseas development. USAID was established to unify assistance efforts, to provide a new
focus on the needs of a changing world, and to assist other countries in maintaining their
independence and become self-supporting.
U.S. Foreign Aid:
Meeting the Challenges of the 21st Century
 |
"We are revitalizing our cutting-edge
technical leadership and reforming critical business operations. We have integrated
our emergency, transition, and food operations into a single capacity to respond to
failing states, complex crises, and postconflict reconstruction, and augmented it with
a new conflict mitigation and management focus."
– Andrew S. Natsios, Administrator
U.S. Agency for International Development |
The end of the Cold War and the new international challenges that now face the United
States have prompted the most thorough reassessment of the country's development mission
since the end of the Second World War. As part of this reassessment, USAID has embraced
five core operational goals:
- Supporting transformational development
- Strengthening fragile states and reconstructing failed states
- Supporting U.S. geo-strategic interests
- Addressing transnational problems
- Providing humanitarian relief in crisis countries
Each of these goals is vitally relevant to combating terrorism and strengthening U.S.
security at home and abroad.
Supporting transformational development. In the developing world, USAID
supports far-reaching, fundamental changes in institutions of governance; human services,
such as health and education; and economic growth. Through this assistance, capacity is
built for a country to sustain its own progress. While these efforts have long been
justified in terms of U.S. generosity, they must now be understood as investments in a
stable, secure, and interdependent world.
Strengthening fragile states and reconstructing failed states. The
President's National Security Strategy wisely recognizes the growing global risks of failing
states: "The events of September 11, 2001 taught us that weak states…can pose
as great a danger to our national interests as strong states… poverty, weak institutions
and corruption can make weak states vulnerable to terrorist networks and drug cartels within
their borders." The failure of states such as Zaire, Afghanistan, Lebanon, Bosnia, Somalia,
and Liberia had repercussions far beyond their own regions. The consequences are being dealt
with today. There is perhaps no more urgent matter, no more difficult and intractable set of
problems facing USAID's portfolio than that of fragile states.
Fragile states present a leading threat to U.S. national security in the 21st century; one
clearly recognized in the 2002 National Security Strategy. Strengthening fragile states
emerged as a discrete category among the five operational goals identified in USAID's White
Paper, U.S. Foreign Aid: Meeting the Challenges of the Twenty-First Century. Although
USAID has worked in fragile states for decades, it had treated them much the same as countries
on a development path. The Agency recognized the need to do business differently in such
environments for which it has formulated a new and separate strategy. Fragile states include
those that are failing, failed, and recovering where conditions are not viable for long-term
development. Hence, the purpose of USAID assistance in fragile states is to advance recovery
to a point where development progress is possible. Stabilization efforts, support for reform,
and capacity development are priorities in such environments. Basic security and strengthening
essential institutions provide the cornerstones for recovery.
In order to assist fragile states more effectively:
- USAID will establish an early warning system using sound criteria and thresholds and bolster
its capacity to respond quickly. Need, vulnerability to instability, and conflict, as well as
policy performance will be core to designating a state as fragile.
- The Agency will analyze the nature and sources of fragility. USAID will analyze effectiveness
and legitimacy along four key dimensions—security, political, economic, and
social—and the motivations and objectives of key actors in order to understand the
critical points of vulnerability. USAID assistance will target the sources of fragility,
and where necessary, address the symptoms.
- USAID will apply the principle of selectivity. Assistance will be directed to states based
on foreign policy importance and the ability to contribute to constructive change.
Fragile states present an inherently risky challenge. The best analysis, skilled assistance
personnel, and generous resources will not necessarily be able to pre-empt failure: the primary
responsibility for that remains within the country itself. Moreover, among outside actors,
USAID cannot meet the challenge of fragile states alone. The Agency has taken the lead by
developing its Fragile States Strategy which now provides the foundation for a coherent U.S.
government response. In addition, USAID, together with the Department for International
Development (DFID) and the Low Income Countries Under Stress (LICUS) group at the World Bank,
is actively promoting a concerted response with other donors and international actors to the
challenge posed by fragile states based on its new strategy. Complementary engagement by
national and international actors offers the greatest potential to arrest or mitigate a
country's slide into failure.
Supporting U.S. geo-strategic interests. Aid is an important component of
U.S. foreign assistance, while countries strive to win their own battles against terrorism.
The tasks today are broader and more demanding than just winning the allegiance of key
leaders around the world. For example, while it is vital that the U.S. government help
keep a nuclear-armed Pakistan allied with the United States in the war on terrorism, the
United States must also help Pakistanis move toward a more stable, prosperous, and democratic
society. USAID's support for reform of Pakistan's educational system and political
institutions is critical in this regard.
Addressing transnational problems. Global and transnational issues are
those where progress depends on collective effort and cooperation among countries. Examples
include HIV/AIDS and other infectious diseases, international trade agreements, and criminal
activities such as trafficking in persons and narcotics. USAID will continue to play a leading
role on these issues, assisting countries to address these problems that could otherwise
bring danger and instability.
Providing humanitarian relief in crisis countries. The United States has
always been a leader in humanitarian aid and disaster relief. The United States is the largest
contributor of food aid that has fed the hungry and combated famine around the world. This is
a moral imperative that has not changed. As an agency, USAID must, however, do a better job of
combining such assistance with longer term development goals. And USAID must make sure that
the recipients are aware of help and U.S. generosity. This is particularly important in areas
of the world subjected to anti-Americanism and terrorist propaganda.
USAID delivers aid to Pakistan. Photo: USAID/ANE |
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