By Mark Lopes, Deputy Assistant Administrator, USAID/ Latin America and Caribbean Bureau

USAID Deputy Assistant Administrator for Latin America and the Caribbean Mark Lopes and Minister Marco Farani of the Brazilian Agency for Cooperation (ABC) sign a Memorandum of Understanding to create a professional staff exchange program between their agencies. Photo Credit: USAID/Brazil

The US and Brazil took another step yesterday toward deepening our joint efforts in developing countries,  with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding to formalize a staff exchange program between USAID and the Brazilian Cooperation Agency (ABC). Starting in April 2011, USAID will have a staff member working in ABC’s offices and vice versa. The program will facilitate peer-to-peer learning and create more opportunities to jointly leverage US and Brazilian assistance in third countries.

The USG’s trilateral arrangements with Brazil are a reflection of that country’s emergence as a global economic and diplomatic force and a net donor to development.

For the United States, the more donors with whom we can collaborate to address the some of the world’s most intractable problems, the more we advance our national interests and provide paths out of poverty. In Brazil, we have a partner who shares our commitment to advancing global development; and who has come up with effective and innovative approaches to tackling some of the very same challenges facing developing countries in Latin America and the Caribbean and Africa.

Through the staff exchange program, we are continuing to put into practice President Obama’s commitment to an equal partnership with the countries of this hemisphere, based on mutual respect, common interests and shared values.