GLOBAL DEVELOPMENTS
In this section:
Mexico Methane Gas Project to Begin
USAID, Equatorial Guinea to Form Fund
EIU Resources Available Agency-Wide
Democracy Projects Effective, Study Says
High-Nutrient Food Fights Malnutrition
USAID Launches Private Equity Fund
Darfur Clinic Reopens with Assistance from
USAID
Burundi Peace Radio
Mexico Methane Gas Project to Begin
WASHINGTON—The U.S. and Mexican governments agreed
to develop clean energy projects in Mexico using methane,
a greenhouse gas.
“USAID is committed to working with EPA and the government
of Mexico to promote and find productive uses for renewable
energy,” said USAID Acting Administrator Frederick W.
Schieck on March 24.
Under the terms of the agreement, EPA, USAID, and the Mexican
Secretariat of Environment and Natural Resources will work
with local governments and the private sector to share and
expand the use of technologies to recover and use methane
gas released from natural gas and oil systems, landfills,
underground coal mines, and agricultural operations.
The United States and Mexico are two of the 17 countries
currently participating in the partnership, an international
initiative launched in November 2004 to advance cost-effective
methane recovery and use it as a source of clean energy. Methane
is a clean-burning fuel that is the main component of natural
gas. The United States is committing up to $53 million over
the next five years to support the effort.
USAID, Equatorial Guinea to Form Fund
WASHINGTON—Officials from USAID and the Republic
of Equatorial Guinea said on April 11 that they are working
to establish a Social Development Fund in the country, implementing
projects in the areas of health, education, women’s affairs,
and the environment.
Equatorial Guinea is contributing $15 million to USAID to
provide technical assistance to support implementation of
the fund so USAID can foster transparency and accountability
in the design, implementation, and evaluation of social needs
projects.
“Equatorial Guinea’s decision to use government
revenues for social development needs demonstrates visionary
leadership and the potential of true transformation. This
kind of agreement can serve as a model for future partnerships
around the world, and USAID graciously accepts these resources,”
said USAID Administrator Randall L. Tobias.
USAID’s technical support of the fund will be managed
through USAID’s West Africa Regional Program in Accra,
Ghana.
EIU Resources Available Agency-Wide
WASHINGTON—Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU)
country reports and profiles, which are published by the parent
company of The Economist magazine, are now available
to USAID headquarters and missions, as are Columbia International
Affairs Online (CIAO) reports.
EIU country reports contain in-depth analysis of political
and economic trends in nearly 200 countries. EIU profiles
are more lengthy documents focusing on background and historical
context of current economic and political events.
CIAO is a major source for working papers, proceedings,
and policy briefs focusing on theory and research in international
affairs. Both databases can be accessed by Agency employees
from the USAID library intranet site at http://ppc.usaid.gov/library.
Democracy Projects Effective, Study Says
WASHINGTON—USAID democracy and governance programs
have had a measurable impact on democratic progress around
the world, according to a Vanderbilt University and University
of Pittsburgh study.
“We found that when the United States spends money
to promote democracy in foreign countries, it works,”
said Mitchell Seligson, professor of political science and
a fellow of the Center for the Americas at Vanderbilt. “Unlike
all prior published research, our data set is based upon an
exhaustive survey of the entire democracy portfolio of USAID
since the end of the Cold War.”
The study, Effects of U.S. Foreign Assistance on Democracy
Building: Results of a Cross-National Quantitative Study,
uses a statistical model to draw its conclusions, measuring
the specific impact of USAID spending on democracy assistance
rather than the impact of all types of U.S. foreign assistance
on increasing democracy, and controlling for many other possible
influences on the growth of democracy. Its findings will help
inform subsequent research, including in-depth country case
studies.
High-Nutrient Food Fights Malnutrition
LILONGWE, Malawi—The Office of Global Development
Alliances (GDA) is teaming up with Nutriset, a French for-profit
company, and Project Peanut Butter, a Malawian NGO, to locally
produce a high-nutrient food that is similar to peanut butter
and has the nutritional content of therapeutic milk.
Such ready-to-use therapeutic foods are a simple and effective
way of supplying vital nutrients that can sustain life, while
requiring no cooking or additives such as clean water or milk.
GDA supports training of local staff and the purchase of machinery
to improve local production of the food, called Plumpy’Nut-Chiponde.
The Malawi production facility, operated by Project Peanut
Butter, uses raw materials from local farmers. USAID is also
funding the use of Plumpy’Nut in food emergencies elsewhere
in Africa, namely Niger and Sudan.
USAID Launches Private Equity Fund
BOGOTA, Colombia—At a ceremony attended by President
Alvaro Uribe and senior U.S. diplomats, USAID on March 7 launched
the first private equity fund for local small and medium enterprises.
With an initial capitalization of about $17 million, the
fund aims to create jobs and raise incomes.
USAID/Colombia and the Trans-Andean Fund contributed $7
million in seed capital to stimulate and legitimize the fund.
A matching commitment of $10 million was arranged with Colombian
private pension and insurance funds.
The Agency provided technical and financial support to launch
the fund, and helped identify the initial group of potential
investments. It also recommended modifications to a wide range
of regulations to make it easier for Colombian capital-management
institutions to participate.
Darfur Clinic Reopens with Assistance from USAID
A health clinic in Deleig, a town located in the Wadi Saleh
locality of West Darfur, reopened on March 3 thanks to USAID
assistance. International Medical Corps (IMC) rehabilitated
the clinic, which now serves about 20,000 people from the
Deleig area. At the clinic, IMC conducts nutritional screening
and offers the community comprehensive primary health care
services, including outpatient consultations, antenatal care,
growth monitoring, immunizations, minor wound care, and health
education.
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| USAID |
Burundi Peace Radio
Disk jockeys at USAID-funded Studio Ijambo produce radio
programs promoting dialogue, peace, and reconciliation in
Burundi, which is recovering from 10 years of civil conflict.
Members of different ethnic groups work together at the radio
station. One of the programs exposes real-life stories of
people who, during the crisis, risked their own lives to save
the life of someone from another ethnic group. A popular radio
soap opera, Umubanyi niwe Muryango, based on the daily challenges
of two neighboring families inspires listeners to identify
with problems faced by others and understand positive, nonviolent
ways of resolving conflicts.
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