Blog Contributor:
Nathan Cole
Aug 9th, 2010 6:35 PM UTC
By Nathan Cole
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This week, the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), an effort to improve economies in sub-Saharan Africa, celebrates its 10th anniversary. ONE global policy intern Nathan Cole gives us a recap of AGOA’s annual forum.
Last week, experts on U.S.-African trade met at the annual African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) Forum to discuss its progress since it was signed into law in 2000.
AGOA gives beneficiary sub-Saharan African countries preferential access to U.S. markets by allowing many products from these countries to be imported duty free. International trade is essential for development in Africa, and AGOA offers tangible incentives for African countries to continue their efforts to grow economically by exporting more to the U.S.
In the past ten years, AGOA has made progress in fostering U.S. trade with Africa. Currently, 38 countries are eligible to participate in AGOA. As Sen. Benjamin Cardin (D-Md.) noted in the AGOA Civil Society Forum two weeks ago, “AGOA’s been a great success … it’s time to celebrate.” The Act has promoted new trade and investment, and it has created some 300,000 jobs in Africa. AGOA is also helping to create new markets in the U.S.
However, as Sen. Cardin also noted, several challenges still remain. For example, most of the increase in trade has been with oil and gas products, and AGOA has had a very limited impact on agricultural products. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said at the AGOA Forum last week, “Despite the best of intentions, AGOA has achieved only modest results and has not lived up to the highest hopes of a decade ago.”
There are many obstacles, but AGOA offers many opportunities as well. If necessary reforms such as broadening product coverage and simplifying eligibility rules are implemented, AGOA could help millions of Africans lift themselves out of poverty. AGOA can continue to foster reforms in African economies, provide technical support, and build platforms for dialogue. Hopefully, the AGOA Forum will continue to provide new insights and opportunities for advancing trade relations with Africa.
For more information on AGOA, please see ONE’s issue brief.
- Nathan Cole, global policy intern, ONE
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Jul 1st, 2010 4:46 PM UTC
By Nathan Cole
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On Tuesday, Dr. Rajiv Shah, Administrator for the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), talked about the Global Health Initiative (GHI) at a meeting of global health and international development professionals from across Washington, D.C. The Administrator demonstrated tremendous enthusiasm and optimism concerning the future of both global health generally and the specific efforts of USAID, and stated that “health is, in fact, at the heart of human progress.”
Henrietta Holsman Fore, Administrator of USAID from 2007-2009, introduced Dr. Shah as “a remarkable symbol, as well as a leader. There are many experts within USAID, but we are delighted that Raj is a doctor. As a medical doctor, it means he can lead with enormous integrity in the field of health.”
Dr. Shah began his discussion of the GHI with a story of “two women with one thing in common: they’re both pregnant with their third child.” After painting a picture of the resource disparities between a pregnant woman in sub-Saharan Africa and her counterpart in the United States, Shah presented a sobering statistic: a woman in the United States faces a 1-in-4800 chance of dying in childbirth, whereas in sub-Saharan Africa, the chance is 1-in-22. This disparity is “simply unacceptable,” said Shah. “The President’s Global Health Initiative is designed to close that gap.”
Administrator Shah highlighted some of the work the U.S. is doing to address health challenges globally. The President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) is the largest effort by any one country to fight a single disease, and in its first phase, the plan provided antiretroviral treatment to more than 2 million people and supported care for more than 10 million worldwide. Similarly, the President’s Malaria Initiative (PMI) has distributed more than 19 million insecticide-treated nets (ITNs) and 40 million anti-malarial treatments. However, Shah warned of “stove-piping” our approach to global health, citing cases in which patients in developing countries were often required to visit two separate clinics for two different conditions. “The Global Health Initiative is therefore about the patient, not just the disease.”
The Global Health Initiative will devote $63 billion to helping countries to achieve significant advances, while attempting to create conditions in which the need for future aid is reduced. Dr. Shah outlined some general principles of the GHI. The initiative will “do more of what works” and will focus on expanding existing service platforms. Simultaneously, the GHI will prioritize innovation, focus on country ownership, and pay special attention to women and girls.
Administrator Shah closed the Q&A session that followed by reaffirming that Americans “care deeply” about these issues. He noted that over half of American families supported in some way the relief effort in Haiti after the earthquake. Shah also mentioned those who, like himself, “own RED watches or RED t-shirts, and wear them with great pride.” It is a “symbol of their commitment to saving lives around the world.”
This event was hosted by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). A video and full transcript can be found here.
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Jun 23rd, 2010 5:03 PM UTC
By Nathan Cole
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Please welcome Nathan Cole, who’s interning with our Policy Team and will be contributing frequently to the ONE Blog:
As you may have read from the blog post last week, two of our partners, David Beckmann of Bread for the World and Jo Luck of Heifer International, were awarded the World Food Prize. We would like to congratulate them once again for their achievements and efforts to fight global hunger.
During the 2010 World Food Prize Laureate Announcement Ceremony, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton unveiled a new research partnership: the Norman Borlaug Commemorative Research Initiative, named in honor of the dedicated plant scientist who is often called the father of the Green Revolution. This collaborative effort will combine the knowledge and resources of USAID and the U.S. Department of Agriculture to address the pressing needs of the rural poor. It will also work together with U.S. university scientists and their counterparts in developing countries. “We are committed to fight the twin afflictions of hunger and poverty,” said Secretary Clinton. She believes the question is “not whether we can end hunger but whether we will, because we think it truly is a matter of political will and capacity.”
Dr. Rajiv Shah, Administrator of USAID, highlighted some of the specific features of the initiative. The program will involve a focus on core productivity, a careful prioritization of the best investments, and a “milestones-and-outcomes-based” funding approach. Following Administrator Shah, Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack reminded us of the miracles that can happen when we remove our fear of giving to others. “When we remove that fear of sharing,” said Secretary Vilsack, “we are not only helping those who are in need; we are indeed receiving back far more than we are giving.” The full transcript can be found here.
This initiative confirms the administration’s stated commitment to agriculture. We are excited about this initiative and hope that it will result in new agricultural innovations and solutions for farmers around the world. We also look forward to additional details about the governance and scope of the program.
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