Transition nations from assistance recipients to enduring diplomatic, economic, and security partners  

U.S. foreign assistance aims to foster inclusive economic growth, reduce poverty, strengthen democratic governance, and enhance peace and security, while helping countries progress beyond needing assistance. The Department of State and USAID will ensure partner countries demonstrate their tangible commitment to achieving these objectives while maximizing the impact of American taxpayer dollars. U.S. assistance will not be provided in perpetuity. The Department and USAID will measure the impact of our assistance by how it helps countries move from assistance recipients to enduring diplomatic, economic, and security partners. GOAL 3: PROMOTE AMERICAN LEADERSHIP THROUGH BALANCED ENGAGEMENT 9 The President of the United States’ remarks at the 72nd session of the United Nations General Assembly: https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/remarks-president-trump-72nd-session-united-nations-general-assembly/  

Strategies for Achieving the Objective The Department and USAID will prioritize programs that assist countries in improving their policies to stimulate economic growth, strengthen their democratic institutions, foster co-investments, share the burden of addressing common challenges, and mobilize domestic resources for self-sufficiency. We will promote an efficient, effective, and supportive legal and regulatory environment that attracts investment in partner nations through close partnerships with the U.S. interagency and multilateral institutions while supporting each country’s self-determined development path. Strong interagency field missions will develop country specific strategies that focus available resources to efficiently overcome challenges and capitalize on opportunities in each country. This targeted strategy will enable realistic planning and monitoring of each country’s progress towards self-sufficiency. In line with American values, Department and USAID programs enhance good governance and security, support the rule of the law, promote foreign direct investment, combat corruption, and protect private and intellectual property rights. These programs must also improve a country’s ability and willingness to mobilize domestic resources as a key element of achieving shared prosperity and greater partnership in global development, diplomacy, and security. We will coordinate media outreach and public communications to explain our assistance while creating public support for future partnerships. Cross Agency Collaboration The Department and USAID work closely with the Departments of Defense, Treasury, Agriculture, Energy, Environmental Protection, Justice, Commerce, and Health and Human Services. The Millennium Challenge Corporation provides assistance to partner countries to meet threshold indicators on democracy, anti-corruption, and rule of law. Regional associations such as International organizations present opportunities to build consensus around American values; advance American national security, economic, and development goals; and rally collective action with American leadership. Multilateral organizations set norms that support political stability, personal liberty, economic prosperity, public health, social development, and that address forced displacement and international migration. By working through these fora, the United States can more effectively make our citizens safe, our businesses prosperous, and our future promising. Active engagement in multilateral fora allows the United States to exercise its leadership to shape the rules and norms of the international order and to prevent malign actors from advancing ideas and policies that are contrary to our interests. The United States makes assessed contributions to 44 international organizations, including the UN and NATO. U.S. contributions include support to international peacekeeping activities, the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the World Health Organization (WHO), and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). In all of these cases, the U.S. government strives to ensure equitable burden sharing among donors and to leverage a broader international donor base. American representatives serving on governing boards of international organizations contribute significantly to the policies and standards set by these bodies. Strategies for Achieving the Objective While ensuring the integrity of our sovereignty and respecting the sovereignty of our partners, the Department of State and USAID will lead by example and leverage the potential of the multilateral system to help defuse crises; mitigate destabilizing economic events; deter aggression and extreme ideologies; promote fair and reciprocal trade; enhance economic competitiveness; open markets; and cooperate on migration issues. It is the primary responsibility of sovereign states to help ensure that migration is safe, orderly, and legal. The Department and USAID will support and initiate reforms to make international bodies more efficient, effective, and equitable in mobilizing all member states to preserve the global commons. We must hold others accountable for sharing the financial burden while supporting collective action. Many recipients of U.S. assistance play critical roles as partners in countering transnational terrorist and criminal groups and as contributors to peace operations. We will engage with new donors willing to contribute expertise and funds such that our mutual efforts and shared costs align with the Department and USAID’s respective comparative advantages. The Department will employ a wide range of public diplomacy tools to underscore U.S. leadership on the global stage, and particularly as host of international organizations. Highlighting U.S. leadership will provide opportunities to demonstrate the utility of these organizations in promoting American interests. The Department and USAID will seek to increase the number and percentage of Americans serving in international organizations at all levels, including the United Nations and its technical and specialized agencies, and in the governance of international economic fora. Cross Agency Collaboration Cooperation across the U.S. Government is essential to achieving more equitable burden sharing. This cooperation is also necessary to align positions on organizational reform, contributions to and maintenance of high fiduciary, social and environmental standards in multilateral development banks. In addition, filling senior positions in international organizations with Americans is a priority to enable advancement of U.S. values and interests. Risk As other nations increase their relative financial contributions and participation in multilateral fora, it could decrease U.S. influence in achieving key policy objectives in specific cases as well as blunt broader organizational reform, leaving the door open to adversaries exerting greater influence in shaping the international order. This would limit the agencies’ ability to advance the U.S. foreign policy agenda and could result in setbacks on key policies that promote and protect American interests. 487