Press Releases

October 21, 2009

Washington, D.C. - The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is launching an Emerging Pandemic Threats (EPT) program that builds on the successes of the Agency's long-standing programs in disease surveillance, training, and outbreak response, particularly those addressing avian and pandemic influenza. The focus of the EPT program is to pre-empt or combat, at their source, newly emerging diseases of animal origin that could threaten human health.

October 21, 2009

WASHINGTON, DC - The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and Grameen Foundation today announced a new collaboration that will make up to $162.5 million in local currency financing available to microfinance institutions (MFIs) throughout the developing world. The twelve-year program is the largest credit guarantee to date under USAID's Development Credit Authority and also marks the first time that a non-governmental organization has been approved to serve as facilitator.

October 15, 2009

WASHINGTON, D.C. - A Purdue University professor, whose research was funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), received the 2009 World Food Prize Oct. 15 for his concerted effort in the development of drought and parasitic weed resistant varieties of sorghum which has increased the food supply to millions in sub-Saharan Africa.

October 14, 2009

Baghdad - Iraqi Deputy Minister of Industry Muhammed Abdullah and USAID/Iraq Mission Director Chris Crowley joined officials from the Government of Iraq (GoI) and representatives from Iraqi universities and the private sector at a conference Oct. 13 that focused on ways to enhance awareness of quality management concepts, services and products and to illustrate their role in Iraq's national development.

October 13, 2009

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. government, through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) airlifted a shipment of emergency supplies to Indonesia on October 10th from its stockpile in Dubai. In coordination with the Indonesian Red Cross, approximately 20,000 internally displaced personnel will benefit from 45 metric tons of emergency relief supplies including 34 pallets of plastic sheeting, 6,720 hygiene kits, 7,200 jerry cans and 6 generators.

October 13, 2009

WASHINGTON, D.C. - A researcher for an international program funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) won the 2009 Nobel Prize in economics for her work on how community institutions can prevent conflict.

Elinor Ostrom, the first woman to win the prize in its 40-year history, is a researcher for the Sustainable Agriculture and Natural Resource Management Collaborative Research Support Program (SANREM CRSP), managed by Virginia Tech.

October 9, 2009

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Gays and Lesbians in Foreign Affairs Agencies (GLIFAA) was named Employee Resource Group (ERG) of the year by Out & Equal Workplace Advocates. GILFAA is the first federal employee organization to receive an award from Out & Equal. Ajit Joshi, Program Director for United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Bureau of Democracy, Conflict and Humanitarian Assistance and Policy Director for GLIFAA, will accept the award on behalf of GLIFAA.

October 9, 2009

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has awarded a five-year grant, Strengthening Health Outcomes through the Private Sector, to Abt Associates Inc. Sub-recipients under the grant are Banyan Global, Jhpiego, Marie Stopes International, the Monitor Group, and O'Hanlon Health Consulting, LLC. The $95 million grant will build upon USAID's decades of support for and leadership in private health sector programming, and on the work of its predecessor projects, Private Sector Partnerships-One (PSP-One) and Banking on Health.

October 8, 2009

Washington D.C. - In order to respond more rapidly to global food emergencies, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) announced the expansion of its worldwide food aid warehouse program last week. The Agency awarded a contract valued at up to $50 million to Agility Logistics, Inc. of Virginia.

October 6, 2009

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. government, through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), announced over $10.5 million in grants to seven organizations working in six countries in Africa to extend malaria prevention and control activities in communities most affected by the disease, particularly children under age 5 and pregnant women. The grants were provided through the President's Malaria Initiative (PMI), an interagency initiative led by USAID with the Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as key partners.

October 2, 2009

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Agency for International Development's (USAID) Acting Administrator Alonzo Fulgham, along with representatives from USAID's Latin America and Caribbean Bureau, will participate in a Hispanic Heritage Month Celebration at the Hubbard Place Community Center, located at 3500 14th Street NW, Washington DC, on Oct. 5, from 3 to 5 p.m.

October 1, 2009

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) provided $300,000 immediately following the 7.6 magnitude earthquake that struck the Indonesian island of Sumatra at 5:15 PM local time on September 30, 2009. This initial money was provided to help with the most pressing emergency needs. USAID has also set aside an additional $3 million to provide further assistance once rapid assessments help better identify needs.

September 30, 2009

WASHINGTON D.C. - The United States Agency for International Development (USAID), recently awarded 30 grants totaling $8.6 million to 23 U.S. based non-profit, private and voluntary organizations (PVOs), under USAID's International Food Relief Partnerships (IFRP) program.

The IFRP program enables USAID to administer grant awards to U.S. based PVOs for the preparation and storage of shelf-stable pre-packaged food and for the delivery and distribution of those commodities in developing countries.

September 30, 2009

HARARE, ZIMBABWE - The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Standard Chartered Bank of Zimbabwe (Stanchart) signed an agreement that will enable the bank to expand its lending by $20 million over five years. The program, made possible under USAID's Development Credit Authority, is targeted at the agricultural sector and will allow Stanchart to increase the number of loans it makes directly to farmers and enterprises.

September 30, 2009

WASHINGTON, DC - The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) has allocated an additional $1 million in emergency assistance for the people of the Philippines in the aftermath of Tropical Storm Ketsana, bringing the total assistance provided by USAID to $1.1 million.

September 30, 2009

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Agency for International Development's (USAID) Mission Director in Amman, Jordan, Jay L. Knott, signed five agreements Sept. 28, providing $411.4 million in grants from the United States to Jordan.

September 30, 2009

NEW YORK – At the Clinton Global Initiative annual meeting on Friday, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), Rockefeller Foundation, the Global Impact Investing Network (GIIN), and JP Morgan Chase announced a joint commitment to develop a set of standards that will rate the social and environmental return on financial investments. The Impact Reporting Investment Standards (IRIS) initiative will provide a common framework for defining, tracking, and reporting the performance of impact investments.

September 28, 2009

NEW YORK, N.Y.,- On Friday, a public-private partnership with General Mills, a leading U.S. food company, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) was announced at the closing of the Fifth Annual Meeting of the Clinton Global Health Initiative. This partnership will improve the capacity of small and medium-sized food businesses across sub-Saharan Africa to produce healthy, fortified food products.

September 24, 2009

WASHINGTON, DC - Amy Meyer, director of the Office of Economic Growth at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) field mission in Pakistan, was awarded the National Security and International Affairs Medal at the Partnership for Public Service annual gala event September 23. This award recognizes a federal employee for a significant contribution to the nation in activities related to national security and international affairs (including defense, military affairs, diplomacy, foreign assistance and trade).

September 24, 2009

WASHINGTON, D.C. - This week (Sept. 21), the U.S. Agency for International Development contributed $6 million to the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) trust fund facility, administered by the World Bank. The U.S. Government is now the second largest donor to the trust fund, behind the United Kingdom. Other major donors include Spain, Netherlands, Switzerland, Germany, France and Norway.

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