Disaster Assistance by Department of State, USA

1985 ◽  
Vol 1 (S1) ◽  
pp. 303-304
Author(s):  
Joyce A. Brooks

The Agency for International Development (AID) of the U.S. Department of State administers most U.S. bilateral foreign aid for development. The AID Administrator is the President's Special Coordinator for International Disaster Assistance. The office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance (ofDA) coordinates all U.S. Government assistance to help alleviate suffering of people affected or threatened by natural or manmade disasters that occur abroad. Persons in developing countries are the main beneficiaries of the program. In addition to providing emergency relief, AID's disaster assistance program aims to strengthen the capabilities of other governments to respond to disasters. It is hoped that such efforts will help decrease dependence on the donor community.OFDA response to disasters takes place only at the request of a foreign government to the U.S. Ambassador in the affected area. The Ambassador must then declare the existence of a situation warranting U.S. Government assistance. Once that disaster declaration has been made, he/she has the use of up to $25,000 which may be used as a donation or as a vehicle to purchase locally-available supplies to aid in relief efforts. Any amount above $25,000 must be approved by the OFDA.

2017 ◽  
Vol 92 ◽  
pp. 7-23
Author(s):  
Benedetta Rossi

AbstractThis article introduces an Africa-focused special issue showing that the rise of development in its modern form coincided with the demise of the political legitimacy of forced labor. It argues that by mobilizing the idea of development, both colonial and independent African governments were able to continue recruiting unpaid (or underpaid) labor—relabeled as “voluntary participation,” “self-help,” or “human investment” —after the passing of the ILO’s Forced Labor Convention. This introduction consists of two parts: the first section summarizes the main findings of the contributions to the special issue. The second part advances preliminary considerations on the implications of these findings for our assessment of international development “aid.” The conclusion advocates that research on planned development focus not on developers-beneficiaries, but rather on employers-employees. Doing so opens up a renewed research agenda on the consequences of “aid” both for development workers (those formally employed by one of the many development institutions) and for so-called beneficiaries (those whose participation in development is represented as conducive to their own good).


2020 ◽  
pp. 104420732095976
Author(s):  
Valerie L. Karr ◽  
Ashley Van Edema ◽  
Megan McCloskey ◽  
Krista Geden ◽  
Jim Murphy ◽  
...  

Persons with disabilities living in developing countries look to the United States—the world’s largest contributor to Official Development Assistance (ODA) by volume—as a steadfast supporter of inclusion. This case study examined disability inclusion within the current policies and practices of four federal agencies responsible for either funding or executing U.S. foreign assistance activities. The agencies of interest were the U.S. Department of State (DOS), the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the Peace Corps (PC), and the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC). Core areas of investigation were (a) agency disability policies and guidance, (b) the inclusion of persons with disabilities in foreign assistance programs, (c) the employment of persons with disabilities within federal agencies, and (d) physical accessibility of federal agencies. Key findings show that while some progress has been made in regard to the inclusion of persons with disabilities in U.S. foreign aid, a persistent lack of formal accountability measures impedes the inclusion of persons with disabilities diffusing responsibility and results within and across agencies.


2016 ◽  
Vol 60 (4) ◽  
pp. 647-664 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christina J. Schneider ◽  
Jennifer L. Tobin

2011 ◽  
Vol 36 (4) ◽  
pp. 273-287 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kevin Walby ◽  
Jeffrey Monaghan

Drawing on analysis of government records obtained using Access to Information Act requests, the author examines the securitization of Canada’s aid program to Haiti between 2004 and 2009. The author discusses how Canadian agencies, including the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), Correctional Service of Canada (CSC), and the Canadian International Development Agency, were involved in capacity-building initiatives that focused on police reform, border surveillance, and prison construction/refurbishment across Haiti in the aftermath of a coup that ousted the democratically elected President Jean-Bertrand Aristide. The author demonstrates how these efforts at securitization resulted in what officials referred to as the “Haitian Paradox,” whereby reorganization of the Haitian National Police force led to higher arrest rates and jail bloat, creating conditions that violated rather than ameliorated human rights. While the securitization project may have been based on the rule of law and human rights in Canadian policy makers’ official discourse, in practice these securitization efforts exacerbated jail overcrowding, distrust of police, and persecution of political opposition. The author therefore demonstrates one way that international development, aid, and criminal justice intersect, with emphasis on the transnational aspects of RCMP and CSC activities.


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