This past weekend I joined over 1,000 college students from 80 countries, and over 75 youth organizations, at the 5th annual Clinton Global Initiative University (CGIU) held this year at George Washington University. For many, the highlight might have been Usher summing up his sentiment about why his foundation focuses on youth empowerment by singing [...]
Tag archives for Afghanistan
U.S. – Afghan Women’s Council – Celebrating 10 Years of Progress
This week we celebrated the 10th anniversary of the U.S. – Afghan Women’s Council (USAWC). Created during the Bush Administration, the Council has stimulated an extraordinary array of public-private partnerships to elevate the status of Afghan women and girls. As I listened to commemorative remarks by Secretary Clinton and former First Lady Laura Bush, I [...]
Winter Emergency in Afghanistan
The U.S. is experiencing a relatively mild winter, but the opposite is true in Afghanistan. Temperatures near the capital city of Kabul recently dipped to 3 degrees Fahrenheit making this winter the coldest in 15 years. As is often the case, the people who are most vulnerable are also the least equipped to protect themselves against [...]
We must do better than cash
Cash can stifle economic development. That might seem counterintuitive. Aid is critical to ameliorating the plight of poor people living on far less a day than we spend on a latte. But physical cash can undercut many development objectives the U.S. government works to achieve. From improving aid effectiveness to shining a light on corruption [...]
Afghanistan Makes Progress by Addressing Land Issues
In a December 6, 2011 story in the Asia Times, Dr. Rafiullah Bidar, the Jalalabad program manager of the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission, made a striking comment: “It is part of our culture that people kill each other over two issues. . . . One is for land, and the second is women.” Improving [...]
This Week at USAID – September 6, 2011
After a hiatus, we will be continuing the “This Week at USAID” series on the first day of the work week. Thursday, September 8th is International Literacy Day. The Center for Universal Education at Brookings, the Education for All-Fast Track Initiative, and USAID will mark the day by hosting a series of panel discussions on [...]
Innovating in Afghanistan
In 2002, fewer than 200,000 people in Afghanistan had access to telephones. Today, some 15 million Afghans use mobile phones and a full 85% of the population lives within the combined network coverage of the four major telcos. This technological leap connects Afghans to each other and to the economy in ways that were unimaginable [...]
Sustainable Assistance for Afghanistan
In Afghanistan a few weeks ago, I encountered two programs that are emblematic of the challenges and triumphs of civilian assistance efforts in Afghanistan. Read more >>
From the Field
In Sri Lanka, we are holding our annual multi-religion and multi-ethnic festival. After nearly 30 years of conflict, the festival is meant to give members of these previously conflicting groups a chance to meet and know each other in order to foster reconciliation and respect for diversity. In Afghanistan, we will hold the Afghan Women [...]
USAID’S Work in Foreign Police Assistance: Lessons from the Field
Each year, the United States Government invests billions of dollars to train and equip police in countries that present a vital security interest such as Afghanistan, Pakistan, Colombia, and Mexico. In FY 2009, USAID spent $45 million to fund 40 civilian police assistance programs in 27 countries. Activities ranged from inclusion of civilian police in [...]
