President Obama’s open government initiative hit another milestone last week: new guidance from the Office on Management and Budget (OMB) on the collection and public sharing of US foreign assistance data.
I'm delighted to be taking over the reins of CGD's Rethinking U.S. Foreign Assistance Initiative. Many of you know me as CGD’s director of policy outreach and my contributions to CGD’s MCA Monitor and Rethink program. As the incoming director of the Rethinking U.S.
That’s the question the Chicago Council on Global Affairs is asking and they are inviting you to weigh in by answering a brief survey here.
Change in U.S. development policy has been a long time coming, but we expect to learn more details this week when President Obama speaks at the UN Millennium Development Goal Summit and the UN General Assembly. Change for CGD’s Rethinking U.S. Foreign Assistance Initiative similarly started back in January but embarks on a new chapter today too.
Once upon a time there was an election where all the presidential candidates promised to promote global development. Candidate Obama became president with a development platform on strengthening our common security by investing in our common humanity. He then appointed a secretary of state with knowledge and passion for development.
This is a joint posting with Casey Dunning
MCC CEO Daniel Yohannes kicked off yesterday’s public outreach session about the latest MCC board meeting with introductions of new leadership hires, details of his trip to Ghana and Cape Verde, the board’s decision to defer funding to the Philippines, and forthcoming impact evaluations. He also said the MCC would post a new “open government” plan on the website as part of President Obama’s effort for executive branch agencies to use new technology to share information and solicit public feedback.
The MCC Board of Directors meets tomorrow and is expected to cover two agenda items: whether to move ahead with the Philippines compact and an implementation update on other signed MCC compacts. I’m hoping we also get an update on the status of the vacant civil society board member seat.
Implementation update
In testimony before two House committees, USAID Administrator Raj Shah defended the president’s FY2011 budget request for international development as “a down payment for future peace and prosperity around the world.” His testimony echoed Secretary Clinton’s, but members of Congress see Shah as the person responsible—and accountable—for U.S. development dollars. The question is whether Shah has the authorities and capacities at USAID to fulfill those responsibilities.
As many of you who closely track U.S. development policy doubtlessly already know, one of CGD's first senior fellows, Steve Radelet, joined the U.S. government this week as a senior advisor on development in the office of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.