Development Assistance Committee review suggests more coordination in U.S. foreign aid program

Aug 2 2011

"The U.S. should improve coordination among its more than two dozen government departments to promote coherence in its multibillion-dollar foreign aid program and avoid duplication," according to a peer review from the Development Assistance Committee (DAC) of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, the Guardian reports.

The review "also recommends that the U.S. - the world's biggest aid donor - reinforce the role of USAID … in the national security council and better reflect the goals and strategies of developing countries … [and] strengthen public support for its aid program through more targeted efforts to convey results," according to the Guardian. The report "says the administration would gain from engaging more strategically with NGOs, foundations and the private sector to advocate and raise public awareness for development," the newspaper writes. In addition, "the review calls on the U.S. to make more use of country systems where possible, to cooperate better with other donors, and to implement the OECD's recommendation of untying aid," the Guardian says (Tran, 7/29).

In a USAID statement, USAID Deputy Administrator Donald Steinberg said, "We find the 2011 DAC review of the U.S. government's global development efforts to be fair, objective and rigorous, and express our thanks to the DAC and peer reviewers from the European Union and Denmark for their comprehensive efforts" (7/28).