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October 2011

USAID releases five-year strategy, includes global health and research priorities

October 1, 2011 -- The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) recently released its five-year strategy, or Policy Framework for 2011-2015, which includes several global development priorities such as global health and innovation for new health tools. The strategy was released in response to the Quadrennial Diplomacy and Development Review (QDDR), which Secretary of State Hillary Clinton issued last December to ensure the Department of State and USAID work effectively to advance US interests both at home and overseas. It was also released in response to the Presidential Policy Directive on Global Development (PPD) that President Obama unveiled in 2010 to guide US international development policy. The policy framework is the first in what will become a regular strategic exercise every four years.

Although less than one percent of the federal budget is spent on foreign aid, the tough budget environment has policymakers scrutinizing development policies and financing. The USAID Policy Framework 2011-2015 makes the case that foreign aid is a worthwhile investment that saves lives, reaps huge dividends for the United States, and helps advance critical national interests.

By strengthening relationships with other governments and increasing in-country institutional capacity, USAID is increasingly focusing on being more cost-effective and delivering aid with greater impact and increased sustainability. One key component of this effort is investing in science and innovation, particularly for global health. According to the report, USAID believes that:

“We must support the application of new technologies, approaches, and methods to address human development needs and help use existing technologies and approaches to empower more people, more cost effectively, and more rapidly. Science, technology, and innovation can produce particularly powerful outcomes when complemented by other investments. Indeed, some of the greatest advances in human development—and some of USAID’s greatest contributions, from

the Green Revolution to oral rehydration therapy—have been the result of novel applications of human ingenuity.”

The policy framework outlines seven core development objectives, one of which is to promote global health and strong health systems. According to the policy framework, USAID over the next five years aims to meet the following global health goals:

■ Reduce maternal mortality by 30 percent, reduce under-five child mortality by 35 percent across assisted countries, and prevent 54 million unintended pregnancies. USAID also aims to reduce child mortality through investments in water, sanitation, and health.

■ Halve the burden of malaria for 70 percent of the at-risk population in Africa through the President’s Malaria Initiative (PMI).

■ Support the prevention of more than 12 million new HIV infections, provide direct support to more than four million people on treatment, and support care for more than 12 million people, including five million orphans and children through the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR).

■ Contribute to the treatment of a minimum of 2.6 million new sputum smear-positive tuberculosis (TB) cases and 57,200 multidrug-resistant cases of TB. The agency also aims to contribute to a 50 percent reduction in TB deaths and disease burden relative to the 1990 baseline.

■ Reduce the prevalence of seven neglected tropical diseases, contributing to the elimination of onchocerciasis in Latin America, and the elimination of lymphatic filariasis and leprosy globally.

One component of USAID’s global health strategy includes investing in a new wave of medical technologies. The policy framework acknowledges that developing new technologies can help save lives around the world. To help promote innovation, USAID launched a Grand Challenge for Development on “Saving Lives at Birth” in March of this year.

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