Jun

10

2008

10:00—12:00 PM
Rayburn House Office Building 2172, Washington, DC
,
CGD TALKS

New Day, New Way: U.S. Foreign Assistance for the 21st Century

U.S. engagement with the world has been affected by new foreign policy, national security, and economic challenges. These global challenges have stretched the bounds of both civilian and military involvement in development. The current system of foreign assistance has proven to be inflexible and outdated, unable to meet the needs for international investment. This investment, however, must be a lynchpin of U.S. national security in the 21st century – one of the three integral parts of diplomacy, defense, and development. A growing contingent of policy experts has agreed that U.S. foreign assistance must change in order to be more effective, responsive, and efficient. 

The “New Day, New Way: U.S. Foreign Assistance for the 21st Century” report is the first step towards this mobilization. Amidst the myriad of proposals, commissions, reports, and debates around the topic of how to best design and achieve reform, the Modernizing Foreign Assistance Network has coalesced to build a solid foundation for a grand bargain amongst the executive branch, legislative branch, and the private stakeholder sector to revitalize and build strong civilian capacity for foreign assistance. 

On Tuesday, June 10, 2008 this group of experts outlined the main principles of this report and how they plan to help move this agenda forward. Congressman Howard Berman (D-CA), Congresswoman Nita Lowey (D-NY), and Senator Chuck Hagel (R-NE) provided remarks. David Beckmann, Bread for the World, Lael Brainard, Brookings Institution, George Ingram, Academy for Educational Development, Carol Lancaster, Georgetown University and Raymond C. Offenheiser, Oxfam America served as discussants. Co-chairs Steve Radelet, Center for Global Development and Gayle Smith, Center for American Progress, moderated the discussion.

Read event transcript (pdf, 123K).

Watch video of event.

Read event summary.

 

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