Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2003. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2003. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
Reuters NewMedia - Friday, October 31, 2003
Sue Pleming
InterAction, which represents 160 groups doing overseas relief work, was scathing in its criticism, particularly of the U.S. government's tendency to view foreign assistance "through a national security lens" since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.
"The administration has increasingly turned its attention to development assistance as a tool of the war on terrorism," InterAction said in a policy paper.
InterAction represents a broad range of groups with vastly different political views, religious beliefs and goals. Oxfam, CARE, Catholic Relief Services, World Vision, Refugees International and MercyCorps are among the members.
"InterAction ... calls for a comprehensive review of U.S. foreign assistance programs, which we think is long overdue," said Mary McClymont, CEO of InterAction.
The policy paper said U.S. government resources for foreign aid were fragmented, particularly in Iraq and Afghanistan where the defense department had "unprecedented influence."
"(This is) leading to duplication within the administration, confusion externally about who is in charge and a loss of coherence in the field as multiple federal agencies pursue similar goals with little coordination," the group said.
Escalating costs of "extraordinary relief" and reconstruction activities in Iraq and Afghanistan, for which the president has asked for an additional $20.3 billion, threatened to undercut key work elsewhere, it said.
USAID BEING SIDELINED
InterAction said multiple government agencies were doing foreign aid work done in the past by the U.S. Agency for International Development, whose role had been diminished, adding that USAID needed a drastic overhaul too.
"Many have argued that the administration's creation of new mechanisms reflects frustration and disenchantment with USAID and traditional approaches to development," InterAction said.
President John F. Kennedy created USAID by executive order in 1961 as the main U.S. agency giving foreign assistance to countries recovering from disaster, trying to escape poverty and engaging in democratic reforms.
In recent years, funding for foreign aid programs has become more dispersed with money going to a range of departments, such as the health and agriculture departments, rather than targeting USAID.
"There has been a long-standing effort to dismantle USAID and a lot of blame has been leveled at them. One way of doing this has been to disburse aid to other departments," said one aid agency source.
USAID spokeswoman Ellen Yount said the agency was closely looking at these issues.
"The idea of bringing fresh approaches and more effectiveness to the foreign delivery system is something that many people inside and outside government are actively engaged in," Yount added.
InterAction urged President Bush to live up to his promises for HIV/AIDS programs in Africa and the Caribbean as well as the Millennium Challenge Account, an aid program set up to reward developing countries that eliminate corruption, respect human rights and open markets.
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