I. Public Benefit
USAID continues to pursue human resource initiatives aimed at building, deploying, and sustaining a knowledgeable, diverse, and high-performing workforce. USAID continues to maintain and develop robust training programs with emphasis on skills that can help achieve transformational diplomacy and development, such as advanced foreign language proficiency, public diplomacy, and leadership and management preparedness. The goal is to have a workforce whose composition, size, and skills can adapt quickly to changes in mission, technology, and worldwide requirements of the foreign affairs environment.
To fulfill their joint mission effectively, the Department of State and USAID depend heavily on the collection, analysis, communication, and presentation of information in forms useful to their stakeholders—the public, businesses, other U.S. government agencies, foreign governments, and their employees. USAID is making a concerted effort to use commercial best practices to deploy secure, modern office automation platforms, secure global networks (unclassified, classified, and the Internet), a centrally managed information technology (IT) infrastructure, a modern messaging/archiving/knowledge management system, streamlined administrative systems, and a customer-focused portal.
Integrated budgeting, planning, and performance measurement processes, together with effective financial management and
demonstrated financial accountability, are enhancing the management and performance of USAID. These measures will ensure the resources entrusted to USAID are well managed and judiciously used. The American people will be able to see how well programs perform, and the costs they incur for that performance.
II. Resources Invested
III. Selected Performance Trends
IV. Illustrative Example of Significant Achievement
New Financial System arrives at Missions
Eight Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) and nine Europe and Eurasia (E&E) missions went live with Phoenix, the new financial management system. The transition was smooth because of the efforts of the missions' financial management staff, who had to learn a new system while still meeting daily job responsibilities, and working long hours that at times included weekends. Phoenix has been supporting accounting transactions at USAID's headquarters since 2000. Now that 22 missions are using the system successfully, the Agency plans to roll out Phoenix to the Asia and Near East (ANE) missions in December 2005 and to the Africa missions in 2006. Phoenix, unlike the current overseas Mission Accounting and Control System (MACS) it replaces, is compliant with federal regulations. Financial transactions on Phoenix are posted immediately to a general ledger. USAID is taking the lessons learned from the pilot phase of the project and anticipates making some changes—especially in the areas of training and user support. Deploying Phoenix overseas is part of the Business Systems Modernization initiative, a key component of USAID's Business Transformation Plan.
Dr. Mariama Cire Bah, a foreign service national who serves as USAID/Guinea's reproductive health specialist, discusses the particulars of HIV/AIDS transmission with a group of young men. Photo: USAID/Guinea
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USAID Leadership Responds to Survey with Changes for Foreign Service Nationals
USAID's 2004 employee opinion survey has led to new personnel initiatives for the Agency's largest employee group: nearly 4,900 foreign service nationals (FSN).
In last year's survey, 1,400 comments were submitted, mostly from FSNs. Many said they wanted career development and training opportunities. Many commented on salary, and asked that an FSN executive corps be established to enhance communication between Washington management and people in the field.
As a result of those requests, the Agency's Business Transformation Executive Committee (BTEC) made "nurturing FSNs"
one of its four major priorities for this year. In addition, the Office of Human Resources (HR) established the first FSN Working Group, with Agency representatives from each USAID/Washington bureau and including former FSNs working in the Washington area.
The working group plans to create a publication of FSN success stories, as well as new awards for FSNs. The group has already created a virtual FSN network and regional FSN mailing lists to ease communication between USAID/Washington and the FSN community. In April, the working group met to develop a strategy and action plan to promote professional development, mobility, and communications. To expand the role of FSNs, the working group is considering ways to better utilize FSNs in countries with emerging priorities for "surge" needs, as well as encouraging more FSN exchange opportunities for temporary assignments in other missions and in USAID/Washington.
Recognizing that English-language capability is one of the single biggest factors in FSN career advancement, the HR office recently rolled out online English-language training programs targeting 1,000 entry-level FSNs worldwide.
The working group is also exploring other career development options, such as increasing participation by FSNs in leadership training programs and establishing senior FSN positions. For instance, an FSN Executive Corps is being studied that would identify a cadre of senior or retired FSN professionals worldwide to meet surge and other short to medium-term technical assistance requirements.
Administrator Andrew S. Natsios recently named 2005 as the "Year of the FSN" when announcing new initiatives at the world-wide mission directors' conference, held in Arlington, VA, May 17–20.
USAID Security Provisions Get Thumbs Up
USAID received the highest grade, an A+, on the 2004 Federal Information Security Management Act (FISMA) report card issued February 16. This is a significant improvement from the C– score the Agency received in 2003. The overall government-wide grade is a D+. The grades were based on internal assessments by agencies and evaluations by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). The FISMA report cards help Congress assess the government's security progress.
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