Asia and the Near East
 
The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) carries
out foreign assistance programs that support key U.S. foreign
policy interests, including sustained economic and social
progress for all the peoples of the Asia and Near East regions.
Assistant Administrator
James R. Kunder
Press Inquiries
U.S. Agency for International Development
Office of Press Relations
Ronald Reagan Building
Washington, D.C.
20523-0016
Tel: 202-712-4320
Fax: 202-216-3524
Public
Inquiries
USAID
Missions
ANE
Staff Directory
ANE in Action
USAID operates in 26 countries and territories in Asia,
the Middle East and North Africa. This vast and diverse region
faces many challenges, including terrorism, instability, an
exploding youth population, high unemployment, corruption,
poor education systems, HIV/AIDS and environmental degradation.
USAID responds to these challenges with innovative programming
that emphasizes trade, education, health and democracy to
promote country and regional stability and create a more secure,
democratic, and prosperous world.
Thailand,
10/05: Hope is Alive after Tsunami Headlines
Fade: New water system in Thai coastal community supported
by governments, industry and NGOs -- Nine months after
the Tsunami, a story is quietly unfolding – a story
about the combined efforts of businesses, the Thai Government,
NGOs, and U.S. government agencies to deliver a 47 ton water
treatment system to several devastated coastal communities.
Valued at 16.4 million baht, the new system will provide clean
drinking water to families in Phang Nga Province’s Kuk
Kak Sub-district. The system was donated by the Parkson Corporation,
an American producer of water purification and waste water
systems located in Florida, partly as a memorial gesture to
honor the memory of a Parkson employee’s parents who
died in the Tsunami. {view press
release, pdf][view fact
sheet, pdf]
Iraq,
09/05: In a speech September
9 to the Chaldean American Chamber of Commerce, Andrew Natsios,
Administrator for the U.S. Agency for International Development
(USAID), announced the launch of www.IraqPartnership.org.
This web site will help American citizens learn more about
official U.S. assistance for Iraq and make contributions to
high-impact development projects. IraqPartnership.org is a
cooperative effort of USAID and GlobalGiving, a leader in
online philanthropy – USAID provides content for the
site and GlobalGiving supplies their internet-based donation
technology. [view
press release][view remarks]
Tsunami
Response, 08/05: On August 17,
the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) announced
the launch of the United States government's Indian Ocean
Tsunami Warning System (IOTWS) program in response to the
December 2004 tsunami disaster. This two-year, $16.6 million
effort will contribute to the development of integrated early
warning and mitigation systems that allow countries in the
Indian Ocean region to detect and prepare for tsunamis and
related coastal hazards. [view press
release]
India,
08/05: The United States Agency
for International Development (USAID) announced it will provide
$100,000 in immediate disaster relief funding to assist flood
victims in India. On August 3, 2005 U.S. Chargé d'Affaires
Robert O. Blake declared a disaster due to the severe impacts
of the flooding. In response, USAID is providing assistance
through USAID/India, including $50,000 in Ambassador's Authority
funds to support the Prime Minister's Relief Fund and an additional
$50,000 to support relief efforts of a non-governmental organization.
In addition, USAID/India has mobilized several partners to
provide oral rehydration salt packets and Safewat, a sodium
hypochlorite solution used as a water disinfectant, to the
affected areas. USAID will continue to monitor the situation
and provide additional updates as necessary. [view press
release]
Pakistan,
06/05: The United States Agency
for International Development (USAID) announced it will provide
$50,000 in immediate disaster relief funding to assist flood
victims in Pakistan. On June 29, U.S. Ambassador to Pakistan
Ryan C. Crocker declared a disaster due to the damage caused
by the flooding in NWFP. In response, USAID is providing assistance
to the International Rescue Committee for emergency shelter,
blankets, water and water filtration supplies, clothing, and
other essential goods to assist flood-affected residents.
[view
press release]
Philippines,
06/05: On June 29, the Deputy
Administrator for the U.S. Agency for International Development
(USAID), Frederick W. Schieck officiated at the swearing in
ceremony for the new mission director for the Philippines,
Jon Linborg. A 17-year veteran of USAID, Mr. Lindborg brings
considerable experience in the Asia and Near East region in
managing U.S. international development programs and furthering
cooperation on transnational issues. The USAID Mission in
the Philippines averages between $70 and $80 million annually
and has over 125 people working directly for the mission.
Programs range from reducing sectarian violence to support
for education, health care and economic reform and development.
[view press
release]
Articles
Egypt,
FrontLines 09/05: Named
FrontLines Mission of the Month, Egypt is a major Arab nation
whose 77 million people face many challenges that U.S. assistance
is addressing, such as education, health, water, sanitation,
trade, agriculture, and preservation of historic sites. But
one key to development is communications, and U.S. assistance
to the telephone network has played a role in improving links
throughout the country. [view article]
Afghanistan,
FrontLines 09/05: Afghan Fighters
Exchange Guns for Family Life -- Miles away from the
capital, in Esarak village in Balkh province, a man who once
was a fighter now leads a simple family life running a small
business.Nik Mohammad fought for years against the Soviet
Union. But when the United Nations started a Disarmament,
Demobilization, and Reintegration (DDR) program in Afghanistan,
he joined it, trading his guns and ammunition for 400 eggs,
an incubator and other equipment, and a day of training on
running a poultry business. [view article]
Afghanistan,
FrontLines 09/05: Former Official
and Others Tell Tales of 1950s Afghanistan -- James Cudney,
who was a program officer with one of USAID’s forerunners—the
International Cooperation Administration (ICA)—collected
a bundle of photographs during his years in Afghanistan and
shared them at a meeting in the Ronald Reagan Building. [view
article]
Tsunami
Response, FrontLines 09/05: Disaster
Information Center Funnels Private Aid to Victims --
During the height of the world response to the Dec. 26, 2004,
tsunami, the Center for International Disaster Information
(CIDI) was in demand. Its staff received requests for more
than 100 print, radio, and television interviews, and its
name was passed out by organizations such as CNN and People
magazine.But this was not the first time CIDI, a USAID-funded
program that responds to public questions on international
emergencies, was on the public’s radar. [view article]
Tsunami
Response, FrontLines 09/05: $16
Million for Tsunami Warning System -- A $17 million U.S.
program for an Indian Ocean Tsunami Warning System (IOTWS),
which will help Indian Ocean region countries detect and prepare
for tsunamis and related coastal hazards, was announced Aug.
17. [view article]
Speeches and Testimony
09/15/05:
Testimony of James Kunder, Assistant
Administrator for Asia and the Near East before the Senate
Committee on Foreign Relations, Subcommittee on East Asian
and Pacific Affairs - Indonesia and Tsunami Reconstruction.
I will address why Indonesia is important to U.S. foreign
policy, its major development challenges, and what the USAID
is doing to help the Government of Indonesia (GOI) meet these
challenges. Among those challenges is, of course, the havoc
wrought by the tsunami of December 2004 which affected several
countries within the region. I will summarize the broader
USAID tsunami response and its impact. [view remarks]
09/07/05:
Testimony of James Kunder, Assistant
Administrator for Asia and the Near East before the Subcommittee
on Foreign Operations, Export Financing and Related Programs
Committee on Appropriations - USAID's support for democracy
and reconstruction in Iraq. USAID supports six critical
sectors that will make a substantial difference in the future
of Iraq: democratic governance, education, health, economic
growth, infrastructure, and humanitarian assistance. It is
the largest reconstruction program in U.S. history, per capita,
even bigger than the Marshall Plan. [view remarks]
07/28/05:
Testimony of James Kunder, Assistant
Administrator for Asia and the Near East before the House
International Relations Committee - USAID/Lebanon's Program.
The Lebanese people's popular demands for democratic change
have led to the withdrawal of Syrian forces from Lebanon and
successful parliamentary elections. These remarkable developments
present a significant opportunity for the newly established
government to move forward with crucial economic and political
reforms. [view remarks]
07/26/05:
Testimony of James Bever, West
Bank & Gaza Mission Director, U.S. Agency for International
Development, before the House Subcommittee on Foreign Operations,
Committee on Appropriations - "USAID's Program in the
West Bank and Gaza". The Palestinian political leadership
transition, the current municipal elections, the upcoming
legislative elections, and the Government of Israel's disengagement
plan from the Gaza Strip and settlements in the northern West
Bank all present an unprecedented opportunity to enhance the
Israeli-Palestinian peace process and pave the way for the
state solution. [view remarks]
07/12/05:
Testimony of James Kunder, Assistant
Administrator for Asia And The Near East Before Chairman James
Kolbe and The Subcommittee on Foreign Operations, Export Financing
and Related Programs of The U.S. House of Representatives
Committee on Appropriations. The 3-year Alternative Livelihoods
program led by USAID seeks to increase the benefits of participation
in the legal economy and accelerate economic growth in the
principal poppy-producing provinces of Afghanistan. The combination
of increasing the cost and risk of producing poppy while providing
viable economic alternatives to the illicit crop is the key
to our counter-narcotics strategy. [view remarks]
06/23/05:
Remarks by USAID Administrator Andrew Natsios
and Senior Coordinator For Tsunami Reconstruction Task Force
Ambassador Doug Hartwick on U.S. Assistance And Reconstruction
Efforts Six Months After The South Asian Tsunami. There
are essentially four elements to the way in which we'll spend
this money...large-scale infrastructure; vocational education
and training; economic growth and jobs; and finally, transparency,
accountability and capacity building. [view remarks]
06/16/05:
Testimony of James Kunder, Assistant
Administrator for Asia and the Near East before the Committee
on Foreign Relations, U.S. Senate - "Stabilization and
Reconstruction: Building Peace in a Hostile Environment".
Clearly, one of the central lessons of 9/11 is the critical
importance of weak and failing states. The pathologies that
emerge from fragile and failed states readily spread across
porous boundaries and potentially affect entire regions with
crime, drugs, disease, trafficking, and environmental degradation,
as well as economic deterioration and political instability.
These states may also be the scenes of large-scale refugee
or internal displacement, and can spawn widespread human rights
abuses. [view remarks]
Reports
Tsunami
Reconstruction Plan, 06/05: The
U.S. Congress has appropriated $656 million for the Tsunami
Relief and Reconstruction Fund. The fund reflects the contributions
of multiple USG agencies and will be used to allocate resources
among USG agencies. Please Note: Of this amount, $25 million
is allocated to undertake a coordinated program to prevent
and control the spread of the Avian influenza virus. [view
plan]
High
Threat Report: This USAID/State
Department conference report on managing assistance programs
in high threat countries includes lessons learned and best
practices from embassies and missions across Asia, plus Haiti
and Kosovo. [view report,
pdf]
Photo
Exhibit: "Rebuilding Hope"
tells the story of how USAID helps women and their families
rise to the challenge of starting their lives over in the
wake of conflicts and natural disasters. The exhibit highlights
women and girls rebuilding in the aftermath of the tsunami
in Indonesia and Sri Lanka; re-entering education and leadership
in Iraq; and voting, working and going back to school in Afghanistan.
Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice opened the exhibit on March
8th in honor of International Women's Day. View the exhibit
online
or in the USAID exhibit space outside the library on the mezzanine
level of the Reagan Building.
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