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Center For Economic Growth and Agricultural Development
>> Return to Home Page >> Central Programs >> Global Programs >> Economic Growth and Agricultural Development ACTIVITY DATA SHEET
PROGRAM: Central Programs
TITLE AND NUMBER: Increased Technical Cooperation Among Middle Eastern, Developing Countries, and the U.S., 933-011
STATUS: New
PROPOSED FY 2002 OBLIGATION AND FUNDING SOURCE: $3,500,000 DA
INITIAL OBLIGATION: FY 2002; ESTIMATED COMPLETION DATE: FY 2010Summary: This special objective, managed by Global Bureau's Center for Economic Growth and Agricultural Development (the Center), fosters continued cooperation between Israel and other Middle Eastern countries in the application of science and technology to address shared development goals. It also utilizes unique Israeli scientific and technical expertise to tackle development problems in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Central Asian Republics. The ultimate beneficiaries are the people of the Middle East and developing world whose security and living standards are improved.
There are three component activities under this objective. The U.S.-Israel Cooperative Development Research Program (CDR) funds collaborative research proposals of $200,000 or less and up to five years in length. CDR grants are awarded on a competitive, peer-reviewed basis, and the proposals are developed jointly by scientists from Israel and their counterparts in developing countries to address technical problems relevant to the developing country partner. The Middle East Regional Cooperation Program (MERC) awards competitive grants for collaborative research involving Israel and one or more other Middle Eastern partners. MERC grants do not exceed $3,000,000 over five years. The U.S.-Israel Cooperative Development Program (CDP) supports the activities of MASHAV, the development assistance unit of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Government of Israel. The CDP/MASHAV program provides training in a wide variety of topics for people from developing countries, both in Israel and in their home countries. The program funds Israeli demonstration farms in developing countries, and provides Israeli technical assistance consulting in those countries.
Key Results: Research results to date include advances in saline and dry lands agriculture, improved agricultural water management technology, improved biopesticides, and an increased understanding of emerging tropical diseases and threats to the environment. Progress toward the political goal of support for Middle East regional cooperation has been realized through direct communication, travel, and information exchanges among researchers in the Middle East. Diplomatic and commercial acceptance of Israel throughout the developing countries of Africa, Latin America, Asia, and the New Independent States of the former Soviet Union, has been increased.
Performance and Prospects: USAID funding has catalyzed cooperation that otherwise would not have occurred and has enabled Israeli development assistance to be provided in more than 50 developing countries. A particularly fruitful development partnership between Israel and the countries of Central Asia has begun to emerge with U.S. support. The level of direct cooperation on research funded through grants, as measured by the number of jointly authored publications in professional technical journals, indicates collegial relationships between researchers in Israel and their counterparts in Jordan, Egypt, West Bank/Gaza, Morocco, and throughout the developing world. An increased number of exchanges of scientists and students among Middle Eastern countries and from developing countries was evidenced through meetings and workshops held in those countries. The number of CDP technical assistance consultancies requested and filled will gradually diminish as U.S. core funding to MASHAV is reduced. The number of people from other Middle Eastern countries in the MASHAV training programs is, however, expected to increase if the situation in that region improves.
The effectiveness of these programs, particularly MERC, is dependent upon the broader political situation in the region, as well as the willingness of participants to engage in cooperation in the face of these concerns.
With the growing acceptance of Israel throughout most of the developing world, the original goals of the centrally funded CDP have been achieved, and, therefore, USAID and MASHAV are phasing down the ongoing program and will transition to a new partnership. The new arrangement will be managed at the country level, with potential joint ventures identified by MASHAV and individual field missions considered for U.S. funding by the missions as they fit within the strategic objectives for each country.
In FY 2002, the Center will continue to manage the CDR and MERC grant programs as open, competitive programs utilizing external peer review advice and emphasizing developmental relevance and sustainable capacity strengthening of scientists and research institutions in developing countries. In MERC, maximizing direct Arab-Israeli cooperation will remain a major criterion for selecting projects. The phase-down of CDP core funding for the Government of Israel's foreign assistance program is expected to continue on track in FY 2002, with the last U.S. funds to be provided the following year.
Possible Adjustments to Plans: No changes anticipated.
Other Donor Programs: The Government of Israel, which manages the CDP, contributes one-third of the funding for that program. CDR and MERC projects receive matching funds, at levels varying widely among individual grants, from Israeli and collaborating Arab and developing country research institutions, as well as from participating U.S. partners, such as the University of Wisconsin, Texas A & M University, Harvard University, San Jose State University, Langston University, the U.S. Geological Survey, the USDA, and the National Institutes of Health.
Principal Contractors, Grantees or Agencies: The Government of Israel, Ministry of Foreign Affairs administers CDP as part of its own foreign assistance portfolio. CDR and MERC grants are awarded to Israeli and U.S. research institutions, which, in turn, make subgrants to their collaborating partner institutions. The U.S. National Academy of Sciences assists USAID in the peer review of proposals for CDR and MERC, as well as in the monitoring of technical performance reports. After selection by USAID, all CDR grants and most MERC grants of $1 million or less are negotiated and awarded by the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv, which also provides non-technical oversight services for these grants as part of an interagency agreement between USAID and the Department of State.
Selected Performance Measures: 933-011
Indicator FY97 (Actual) FY98 (Actual) FY99 (Actual) FY00 (Actual) FY01 (Plan) FY02 (Plan) Indicator 1: Number of publications from CDR and MERC funded grants jointly authored by Israeli and other Middle Eastern Scientists or by Israeli and developing country Scientists. 32 34 34 33 50 50 Indicator 2: Number of CDR and MERC project meetings and workshops in the Middle East or developing countries. 17 19 37 32 30 30 Indicator Information
Indicator Level (S)or(IR) Unit of Measure Source Indicator Description Indicator 1: IR Number of publications per year CDR and MERC Grantee Progress Reports (submitted as a grant requirement) Number includes all grants in MERC and CDR Indicator 2: IR Number of meetings and workshops per year CDR and MERC Grantee Progress Reports (submitted as a grant requirement) Number includes all grants in MERC and CDR U.S. Financing
(In thousands of dollars)
Obligations Expenditures Unliquidated Through September 30, 1999 0 DA 0 DA 0 DA 0 CSD 0 CSD 0 CSD 0 ESF 0 ESF 0 ESF 0 SEED 0 SEED 0 SEED 0 FSA 0 FSA 0 FSA 0 DFA 0 DFA 0 DFA Fiscal Year 2000 0 DA 0 DA 0 CSD 0 CSD 0 ESF 0 ESF 0 SEED 0 SEED 0 FSA 0 FSA 0 DFA 0 DFA Through September 30, 2000 0 DA 0 DA 0 DA 0 CSD 0 CSD 0 CSD 0 ESF 0 ESF 0 ESF 0 SEED 0 SEED 0 SEED 0 FSA 0 FSA 0 FSA 0 DFA 0 DFA 0 DFA Prior Year Unobligated Funds 0 DA 0 CSD 0 ESF 0 SEED 0 FSA 0 DFA Planned Fiscal Year 2001 NOA 0 DA 0 CSD 0 ESF 0 SEED 0 FSA 0 DFA Total Planned Fiscal Year 2001 0 DA 0 CSD 0 ESF 0 SEED 0 FSA 0 DFA Future Obligations Est. Total Cost Proposed Fiscal Year 2002 NOA 3,500 DA 13,000 DA 16,500 DA 0 CSD 0 CSD 0 CSD 0 ESF 45,000 ESF 45,000 ESF 0 SEED 0 SEED 0 SEED 0 FSA 0 FSA 0 FSA 0 DFA 0 DFA 0 DFA
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Last Updated on: May 29, 2002 |
