Lesson 20: US and Sustainable Development Policy

Amy DurayEVPP 490 003April 26, 2010

Agenda

• Deriving “national interest:” Is global poverty a threat to security, a moral imperative, or both?

• Obama Administration– Policy and Campaign Statements– Review of First Year of International Development

• US financial contributions to Foreign Development

• USAID in Asia• Runnels – “Our Common Inaction”

Global Poverty as a Threat to US Interests

• “America is now threatened less by conquering states than we are by failing ones” (National Security Strategy, 2002, page 1)

White House Policy Statements• Fight Global Poverty: Obama and Biden will embrace the Millennium

Development Goal of cutting extreme poverty and hunger around the world in half by 2015, and they will double our foreign assistance to achieve that goal. This will help the world's weakest states build healthy and educated communities, reduce poverty, develop markets, and generate wealth.

• Seek New Partnerships in Asia: Obama and Biden will forge a more effective framework in Asia that goes beyond bilateral agreements, occasional summits, and ad hoc arrangements, such as the six-party talks on North Korea. They will maintain strong ties with allies like Japan, South Korea and Australia; work to build an infrastructure with countries in East Asia that can promote stability and prosperity; and work to ensure that China plays by international rules.

From Whitehouse.gov

The 5-Part Strategy to Achieve a World of Democratic Capable States

• Make the critical investments needed to fight global poverty. • Expand prosperity by increasing the capacity of developing

countries to generate wealth.• Support the building of effective, accountable, and

democratic institutions and civil societies that meet the needs of their people.

• Build the capacity of weak states to confront the common, transnational challenges we face including terrorism, conflict, climate change, proliferation and epidemic disease.

• Structure the U.S. government to meet critical 21st-century security challenges.

Components of Global Poverty (from the campaign statement)

• Double foreign assistance (to $50B)• Achieve MDGs by 2015 – support to UN efforts, but no clear

roadmap• Emphasize the elimination of corruption as part of the Human

Rights Agenda• Increase financial support for closing the education gap• Seek debt relief to halt wealth and natural resource drain in

indebted countries.• Increase research and development in Agricultural technologies to

limit vulnerability of those whose livelihoods are tied to farming.• Global Energy and Environment Initiative to spread greener energy

technologies and slow Global Climate Change.

Current Events

• USAID Appointment• Global Health Initiative• Revamping Global Development

– Presidential Study Directive (PSD) on Global Development Policy is being conducted by the National Security Council

– Quadrennial Defense and Diplomacy Review 2010 (anticipated September 2010)

– Kerry-Lugar proposed legislation to revamp USAID – first time in 20 years.

• Balancing domestic economic concerns with international development priorities

US Global Assistance Contributions

Global Assistance from All DAC Countries

Private Sector Contributions to Development

Americans privately give at least $34 billion overseas—more than twice the US official foreign aid of $15 billion at that time:

• International giving by US foundations: $1.5 billion per year• Charitable giving by US businesses: $2.8 billion annually• American NGOs: $6.6 billion in grants, goods and volunteers.• Religious overseas ministries: $3.4 billion, including health care,

literacy training, relief and development.• US colleges scholarships to foreign students: $1.3 billion• Personal remittances from the US to developing countries: $18

billion in 2000• Source: Dr. Carol Adelman, Aid and Comfort, Tech Central Station,

21 August 2002.Read more about development assistance issues at:http://www.globalissues.org/article/35/foreign-aid-development-assistance

USAID Programs for Asia’s Environment

• USAID presence in 22 countries and has a regional office• FY2008 - $40M in support for biodiversity projects in

Asia:– Combatting illegal wildlife trade– Reducing illegal logging– Safeguarding marine and coastal resources– Resolving resource conflicts– Orangutan initiative to conserve 3.3M ha in Indonesia– Co-management of critical ecosystems– Biodiversity corridor initiatives (i.e. Mekong R. region)

Our Common Inaction – Runnals (2008)

• Why are we failing to meet global challenges?• “common but differentiated responsibilities”• Big change vs. small steps

Our Common Inaction – Runnals (2008) (continued)

• Corporate social responsibility– Practices and transparancy– Personality and prosperity driven

• Market-based mechanisms• National governments

– Europe’s embrace, philosophically and financially• Aid agencies• The inadequacy of MDG-7 “Ensure Environmental

Sustainability• International environmental governance – WTO and IMF as

models