Sec. 1013. Principles of assistance
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In order to maximize the reduction of global poverty, assistance under this subtitle should be carried out in accordance with the following principles: Development is primarily the responsibility of the people of developing countries themselves. Assistance should be used in support of, rather than substitution for, the self-help efforts that are essential to successful economic development. Assistance should be demand-driven and designed to support partner country ownership by respecting the development goals chosen through an open and inclusive process in the partner country.
The United States Government should work to broaden country-level policy dialogue on development by promoting an open and inclusive process for choosing development goals, and by increasing the capacity of all stakeholders to participate meaningfully in that process. Persons affected by conflict or disaster—including refugees, stateless persons, and internally displaced persons, particularly those in protracted situations—are among the world’s most vulnerable to poverty, exclusion, exploitation and other abuses.
Although they have tremendous potential to contribute to the growth and development of the communities and countries where they reside, these populations often lack access to development resources and programs. Such populations, as well as other marginalized groups, must be explicitly included in country development programs and national development strategies. Assistance should be concentrated in countries that have the greatest need for outside assistance and that will make the most effective use of such assistance in achieving the purposes of this subtitle.
Program selection and design should be linked to results, by using performance frameworks and indicators that are included in or consistent with a developing country’s national development strategy, where possible, and by strengthening the country’s capacity and demand for results-based management. When partner country systems are transparent, accountable and effective, the United States Government should use such systems for delivering assistance. Where use of such systems is not feasible, the United States should establish additional safeguards and measures in ways that strengthen rather than undermine country systems.
Even in countries where there is a strong and capable state, civil society should be included in the planning, design, management, delivery, monitoring and evaluation of foreign assistance. Assistance should focus on building the self-sufficiency of developing countries by upgrading human, technical, and institutional capacity, both inside and outside government, to effectively plan, manage, implement, monitor, and evaluate budgets, policies, and programs in a transparent and accountable manner that supports development objectives.
The United States Government should take all appropriate steps to harmonize its planning, funding, conditionality, disbursement, monitoring, evaluation, and reporting with governments of developing countries and with other donors, including multilateral institutions, in order to simplify and reduce the administrative burdens, achieve a more effective division of labor that builds on donors’ comparative advantages, and improve accountability for results. In consultation with Congress and in conjunction with the Interagency Policy Committee on Global Development established under section 1020, the Administrator should engage in strategic and budgetary planning over a 3- to 5-year period that will enable the disbursement of assistance in a more timely and predictable manner.
Personnel and management systems of the Agency should incorporate incentives for innovation and experimentation, with tolerance of reasonable risk-taking and training on risk-management. Poverty reduction efforts should promote a policy environment and legal framework that is conducive to broad-based and sustainable economic growth, including— respect for the rule of law; fair, accessible, and timely administration of justice; representative and accountable institutions of governance; protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms; mechanisms of accountability and transparency; security of person, property and investments; enforcement of contracts and intellectual property rights; encouragement of private enterprise, free markets and labor rights; and a vibrant and informed civil society.
An effective United States strategy to promote global poverty reduction and contribute to broad-based, sustainable economic growth must incorporate all United States policies having an impact on development, which include foreign assistance, debt relief, trade, agriculture, migration and remittances, environmental protection, technology transfer, and arms sales. Assistance should be provided in a manner that is flexible enough to adapt to the unique needs and capabilities of specific developing countries and changing situations on the ground, while remaining transparent and predictable enough to allow developing countries and other partners to plan and budget efficiently.
Assistance should give priority to undertakings that will directly improve the lives of the poorest, most vulnerable and marginalized groups, and strengthen their capacity to participate in the political, economic, and social development of their countries. Investments in research, the fostering of innovation and the application of technology are essential to expanding the impact and effectiveness of development policies and programs. To ensure that such research, innovation and technology are appropriately harnessed, development assistance policies and programs should promote data collection and rigorous analysis, evidence-based decisionmaking, a culture of learning, a mechanism for scaling up successful methods and activities, and a process for sharing best practices.
Gender equality is a matter of fundamental human rights, as well as being essential to the reduction of poverty and to the health, education and well-being of families and communities. Assistance should encourage and promote the full participation of women and girls in the decisions that affect their lives, elevate the role of women in their societies, ensure that women are fully integrated into United States policies and programs, afford women opportunities to support themselves and their families, equip and empower women to serve as leaders and as agents of transformation, and protect women and girls against discrimination and violence.
Assistance should promote the wise and efficient use of natural resources to ensure stable economic growth and a healthy environment in which to live, learn, and work. Policies and programs carried out under this subtitle should promote, protect, and ensure the full and equal enjoyment of all human rights and fundamental freedoms by all persons with disabilities, respect their inherent dignity, and encourage their full and effective participation in society on an equal basis with others.
International and United Nations-affiliated agencies and multilateral development institutions are essential components of United States poverty reduction efforts. The United States Government should recognize the comparative advantages of such institutions, particularly with respect to investments in capital-intensive projects and in countries and regions where the United States does not have a large physical presence, while supporting reforms to make such institutions more accountable, responsive, and representative.
In addition to direct financial contributions, the United States Government should provide technical and logistical assistance to such institutions as appropriate. Private investment and philanthropy and individual remittances are increasingly important sources of development resources. The United States Government should help to link the United States private sector with appropriate local partners, to encourage private investment in economic and social development programs to which the United States lends support, and to ensure complementarity between public and private development efforts.
Assistance should be planned and utilized to encourage regional cooperation among developing countries in the solution of common problems and the development of shared resources.