Investing in Our Shared Future

Cabinet Exit Memo | 2017

Investing in Our Shared Future

Cabinet Exit Memo | 2017

Building on a Legacy of U.S. Development Leadership

Previous: Strengthening USAID’s Capabilities

Our progress across the board – including yielding long-term transformation, leveraging resources from multiple sources, saving lives in humanitarian crises, collaborating effectively and efficiently with other agencies and partners, and strengthening USAID as an enterprise – has positioned USAID to deliver on a powerful vision for the future. We can build a world where economies deliver for all citizens, and private capital can flow freely and responsibly; where governments are open, effective, and responsive to all citizens; and where countries and communities collaborate across borders to tackle transnational threats and benefit from high standards, trade and investment, and the exchange of ideas. And we can continue building the USAID the world needs, one that is transparent and accountable, agile enough to manage a future of rapid and tumultuous change, and wise enough to invest now in long-term change.

Here’s what we, as a nation, need to do to get there:

First, build on and expand the network of core constituencies that has been a major driver of success. That includes the private sector, NGOs, the faith community, academia, and young people. As part of this effort, USAID must also expand its outreach to the American public to better communicate its results, its contribution to American prosperity and security, and the impact of taxpayer investments and success in leveraging non-governmental resources. It must also counter the popular perception that spending on foreign aid makes up as much as a quarter of the federal budget, despite the real figure being less than 1 percent.

Second, nurture and sustain bipartisan support for international development. Congressional passage of bipartisan legislation including the Electrify Africa Act, the Global Food Security Act, and the Foreign Aid Transparency and Accountability Act has provided a strong foundation on which to build. Working with Congress as partners, USAID can continue to provide greater efficiencies and effectiveness, and transparency and accountability, even as it seeks the increased flexibility it needs to be agile in a rapidly-changing world.

Third, retain the capacity to respond effectively to multiple complex crises at the same time, without allowing the urgent to crowd out the important. To do this, USAID will have to address staffing and operating constraints on our Bureau for Democracy, Conflict, and Humanitarian Assistance, while sustaining support for long-term investments in prevention, such as programming aimed at building resilience to shocks and stresses, countering violent extremism, disaster risk reduction, and the Global Health Security Agenda. But it will also take an understanding on the part of USAID, across the executive and legislative branches and among the public, that development takes time and that quick fixes rarely lead to lasting gains.

Fourth, focus on the sustained and inclusive growth that is necessary to achieve the stability, cooperation and dignity in countries where we work.  New ideas and initiatives will add to the rich mix of U.S. achievements, but a sustained focus on a singular goal can prevent the “stop and start” phenomenon that has plagued American development investments over time. Along with our colleagues across the government, we gladly inherited the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) from President Bush, and we have been proud to build and expand it. The clear evidence of impact and bipartisan legislation for food security and access to electricity in Africa should also translate into sustained U.S. support. Small but targeted investments can also continue to tap the flows of private and domestic capital to finance development, while a reliance on science innovation and technology will yield new insights and interventions that can accelerate our progress. Sustaining economic growth, however, will also continue to require parallel attention to the fundamentals – good governance, open and democratic systems, the full expression of human and political rights. And it will involve inclusive growth that does not leave women, refugees, LGBTI and other vulnerable populations behind.

Fifth, build capacity – across sectors – of governments to govern fairly and well, and of citizens to hold their governments accountable and contribute to their countries’ development. There will continue to be extremely poor, fragile or crisis-plagued countries that depend on foreign aid, in part because they cannot yet attract foreign direct investment or mobilize domestic resources.  But the shift we are seeing worldwide is one of diversified development finance and, in many cases, increased political leadership at the community, regional or national levels. Investing in the capacity of these countries yields results that take time to materialize, but last longer.

Sixth, recognize that a strong and capable USAID can and will serve American interests and can contribute unique knowledge, decades of experience, and a growing body of tools and solutions to our major foreign policy and national security challenges.  The outward-facing work of USAID is demanding and exciting, but USAID’s impact and effectiveness depend in large measure on its internal capabilities and systems. Ongoing investments and attention are needed to deepen the Agency’s commitment to evaluation, analysis, and the discipline of development, and bringing USAID’s considerable knowledge and experience to bear in interagency deliberations. That means sustaining the implementation of the HR Transformation process and identifying and pursuing other systems fixes. And it means continuing to reduce inefficiencies and enhance prospects for meaningful interagency collaboration. 

Conclusion

There is no question that we have hard work ahead of us. As a country and as a global community, we have to answer volatility with stability, injustice with human rights, despair with opportunity, and conflict with peace. We have to improve our national and economic security by building open and flourishing partners for the United States, enhancing global cooperation, and unlocking opportunities for American businesses in emerging markets. We need to maintain the strategic patience for transformation to take hold, and adapt our systems and institutions for today’s ever-changing world. And even as we respond to the most pressing global challenges, we need to have the foresight to invest in our shared future.

None of this is easy, but the progress we have seen over the past eight years has been well worth the work. Development and humanitarian leadership is a great American legacy, and I am proud of what we have done to build on this legacy under President Obama. And I know that USAID can continue to deliver and lead on behalf of the American people. 

Previous: Strengthening USAID’s Capabilities
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