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Dear Friends,
This month, millions of Afghans braved the threat of violence and arrived at polling stations in record numbers to vote in the nation�s first democratic presidential transition. I am extraordinarily proud of our teams who have worked over the past several years to ensure that Afghan's electoral institutions were ready, women candidates had training, polling stations had observers, and strategies to mitigate fraud were effective. Earlier this month, I testified before the U.S. Congress about the importance of investing in precisely these kinds of efforts to advance our mission and deliver results by maximizing the impact of every dollar. Members of Congress asked pointed but important questions about our work in some of the world�s toughest spots.
We are proud to have launched the U.S. Global Development Lab, a significant milestone for our Agency that embodies our new model for development and brings science and technology to the fight to end extreme poverty. Ultimately, the only way we're going achieve this mission in two decades is by inspiring others to join us.
The launch buzzed with optimism and camaraderie as hundreds of people arrived with one goal in mind: applying their energy to help end extreme poverty. I was deeply inspired by the DevTalks that highlighted how we are bringing new tools and ideas to challenges both old and new. Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton spoke glowingly about the potential of the Lab, and Secretary Kerry has also shared both his and President Obama's commitment to its success. I encourage you to set aside some time to watch these videos.
Raj Shah
USAID Administrator
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USAID In the News
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"Ten years ago, when George W. Bush launched the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), the priority was to find governments in poor countries that could be trusted to spend aid money wisely. Now the focus is on forming partnerships between rich country government aid agencies and the private sector, especially those private businesses, foundations and universities that try to use science and technology to develop innovative ways of helping people in poor countries escape poverty."
(THE ECONOMIST)
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"Since taking the helm at USAID-and before, when he served as undersecretary for the U.S. Department of Agriculture-Shah has worked to develop solutions to solve the world's problems through science, often alongside Clinton."
(TIME)
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"Science and technology is a game changer in solving the largest global challenges," Shelly Esque, vice president of Corporate Affairs at Intel. "The US Global Development Lab brings together essential elements to develop impactful and scalable solutions for economic and social development." (FORBES' CNET)
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"Rather than pouring billions of public dollars into programs to fight poverty, the agency is increasingly using loan guarantees to get local banks to finance big projects, giving its money directly to foreign development groups..."
(THE NEW YORK TIMES)
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"That means that instead of equipping 100 hospitals with a certain type of respirator for infants, for example, the Global Development Lab would support research into innovations that might improve child survival within 48 hours of birth. Working with partners from industry and academia, the lab may fund several pilot projects, then evaluate the results and choose the most promising approaches for further investment." (SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN)
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"The lab is being billed as USAID's equivalent of the Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), the US Defence department wing known for its development of the stealth fighter and involvement in the creation of the internet." (THE GUARDIAN)
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"USAID already invests in innovative technologies related to all of these issues, but this is different: the organization is doubling its investments (up to $608 million from $254 million) and working with a vast network of partners that can help with research and development, supply chain logistics, and general knowledge of developing economies."
(FAST CO.EXIST)
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"The government's foreign aid agency is shifting its focus to research and development to revolutionize the way the United States helps save lives throughout the developing world. The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) is hoping that its new Global Development Lab could replicate the Pentagon�s Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), which had a hand in creating everything from the Internet to the stealth fighter to Apple's voice operating system Siri... But instead of defense networks and revolutionary warplanes, the new effort is aimed at ending poverty around the globe."
(THE HILL)
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"We needed to get back to trying to make USAID the premiere development agency in the world, and to be the leader as people looked to see what worked going forward," Clinton told a USAID audience gathered in New York to mark the unveiling of a new U.S. Global Development Lab to increase the program's reach. (CNN)
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"We intend to try to change and better lives all over the world," Clinton said Thursday in announcing the initiative in New York. "We intend to learn how better to scale successful efforts so they reach far more people... We wanted more and more companies that had expertise, that had resources, to come to the forefront, to be part of our development work and to be held to standards," she said. "It wasn't just a one-off opportunity to get some positive attention but to really be committed for the long term." (ABC NEWS)
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"What can we tell them our engagement has produced? A lot, and especially for women. According to our embassy in Kabul, USAID has built over 680 schools since 2002 in cooperation with the Afghan government, allowing for the enrollment of almost 7 million students � 37 percent of them girls � in primary and secondary schools." (FOX NEWS)
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