December 19, 2024
Dear Friends of MFAN –
As we near the end of the year, MFAN would like to wish you Happy Holidays and take this opportunity to share an update on our coalition’s work since our last update in June. From hosting educational briefings and influencing key legislation on Capitol Hill to convening thought leaders on key issues such as locally led development and private financing for development, it’s been an impactful few months.
MFAN Hosts Capitol Hill Reception with USAID Mission Directors
In July, MFAN hosted a Capitol Hill reception in the historic Nancy Pelosi Caucus Room for more than fifty of USAID’s Mission Directors, along with congressional staff and senior officials from USAID HQ and other USG foreign assistance agencies. We were joined by Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Ben Cardin (D-MD), who spoke passionately about the critical work of USAID in fostering a more secure, just, and prosperous world. Read more here
MFAN and the Congressional Caucus for Effective Foreign Assistance Host Briefing on Innovation and Global Development
Following two congressional staff briefings we hosted earlier in the year in partnership with the Congressional Caucus for Effective Foreign Assistance -- one on the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation and one on Foreign Assistance Accountability -- last month MFAN hosted a congressional briefing on innovation and global development. This event was a deep dive into the critical role of innovation in foreign assistance and underscored the necessity of catalyzing innovation and risk-taking across all levels of development work. The briefing included remarks from: former Rep. Ted Yoho (R-FL), who was a previous co-chair of the Caucus; Sasha Gallant, Chief of Development Innovation Ventures at USAID; and Dia Martin, Managing Director of the Office of Catalytic Investments at DFC. For key takeaways from this briefing, check out our blog post here.
MFAN Releases Aid Effectiveness Recommendations for Presidential Transition Teams
In anticipation of the change in Administrations next month, in October we released our aid effectiveness white paper -- Building on a Legacy of Progress: Opportunities to Reform U.S. Foreign Assistance-- highlighting key aid effectiveness principles and recommendations a new Administration should take to optimize the impact of U.S. foreign assistance. Our recommendations fall into four areas focused on making foreign assistance bolder, more innovative, and better structured. Read our specific recommendations in our white paper here.
MFAN and the Center for Global Development Host Event on Foreign Assistance Reform Tied to the release of our white paper, MFAN co-hosted with the Center for Global Development (CGD) a discussion on October 31 on opportunities to make foreign assistance even more impactful – at a time when the needs for development and humanitarian programs are great. The event featured former USAID Administrators Mark Green and Gayle Smith as keynote speakers and a panel discussion moderated by Paul Weisenfeld, (Executive Vice President RTI International and Chairman, Advisory Committee on Voluntary Foreign Aid-ACVFA) with Rob Mosbacher (former President & CEO, OPIC); Susan Reichle; (former President and Chief Executive Officer of the International Youth Foundation and former USAID Counselor); Beth Tritter, (former VP for Policy and Evaluation, MCC, and Former Director of the COVID-19 Response Team). Watch the event here.
House Foreign Affairs Committee Approves Bipartisan Bill to Strengthen the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation
In July, the House Foreign Affairs Committee approved bipartisan, comprehensive legislation to reauthorize and strengthen the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) through modifications to the Better Utilization of Investments Leading to Development (BUILD) Act of 2018. Authored by Committee Chairman Michael McCaul (R-TX), and Ranking Member Gregory Meeks (D-NY), the legislation contains several important provisions – including some proposed by MFAN - that will enhance the impact of the DFC and reinforce its development mandate. Read more in our press release as well as our blog post on this month’s 5-year anniversary of the DFC.
Other Policy Activities
Fiscal Year 2025 Foreign Assistance Appropriations
Following House action earlier in the summer, the Senate Appropriations Committee approved in July its FY 2025 State-Foreign Operations (SFOPs) appropriations bill by a vote of 24-5. The bipartisan measure contained a number of favorable provisions, including some recommended by MFAN to catalyze greater innovation, increase private sector engagement, and bolster Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning by USAID. Read more about the details of this bill here.
Mobilizing Domestic Financing for Development
In recognition of the need to help increase developing countries’ capacity to invest more in their own development needs, MFAN worked with the leaders of the Congressional Caucus for Effective Foreign Assistance on their formal request last month to USAID Administrator Samantha Power for comprehensive details on the agency's Domestic Resource Mobilization work. U.S. Representatives Young Kim (R-CA) and Adam Smith (D-WA), co-chairs of the caucus, requested detailed information on USAID's DRM work, including in which countries USAID has a DRM program, how it determines country eligibility for DRM assistance, how much funding is being provided for each of these countries, how it is integrated into the agency’s localization initiatives, and what metrics are used to measure the success of DRM programs. Read more about this initiative here.
Localization
In October, MFAN and Save the Children co-hosted a side event, Local Actor Engagement in USAID Policies: Local Listening Session, during USAID’s Local Capacity Strengthening Forum. The session, which included participants from USAID and more than thirty countries, highlighted the importance of local ownership and the need to shift development policies towards intentional, meaningful engagement with local actors in advancing locally led development.
MFAN Welcomes New Leaders
Lastly, we were delighted to welcome Lori Groves Rowley (Managing Member of LGR Strategies, LLC) as MFAN’s new Co-Chair, and Colin Christensen (Global Policy Director of the One Acre Fund) as our new Policy Working Group Co-Chair. Rowley replaced Lester Munson, a Principal in International Practice at BGR Group, who stepped down as Co-Chair after serving two three-year terms. Colin Christensen assumed Lori’s role as Working Group Co-Chair. Read more here
Thank you for reading and your interest in MFAN. On behalf of all our members, I wish you a joyous holiday season and a Happy New Year -- and I hope you will consider an end-of-year contribution to MFAN. A donation of any amount will go a long way!
Tod Preston
MFAN Executive Director
About MFAN
MFAN is a bipartisan reform coalition composed of international development and foreign policy practitioners, policy advocates, and experts from the U.S. and Global South. We promote more effective and accountable U.S. foreign assistance that advances American interests, delivering greater results for people in need and U.S. taxpayers. Centered around two guiding principles of accountability and locally led development, we advocate for programs that focus on long-term outcomes and impact, including new and innovative approaches and models for development.
