Marking 50 years of Progress

Marking 50 years of Progress

…

…

USAID began with President John F. Kennedy’s vision for foreign assistance.
Today USAID continues to save lives and advance opportunity around the world.

Celebrating 50 years of Progress

For fifty years, USAID programs have saved and improved lives around the world, advanced American values, increased global stability, and driven economic growth in emerging markets.

In this video, you will hear President Kennedy’s vision for foreign assistance, a vision that has been carried out by Agency staff around the world. They continue to work tirelessly to advance human dignity and global progress, focusing on innovative, smart solutions to solve development challenges.

“Our problems are man-made, therefore they can be solved by man.” – President John F. Kennedy

###

About USIAD

The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) is an independent agency that provides economic, development and humanitarian assistance around the world in support of the foreign policy goals of the United States.

This Is USAID

The United States has a long history of extending a helping hand to those people overseas struggling to make a better life, recover from a disaster or striving to live in a free and democratic country. It is this caring that stands as a hallmark of the United States around the world — and shows the world our true character as a nation.

U.S. foreign assistance has always had the twofold purpose of furthering America’s foreign policy interests in expanding democracy and free markets while improving the lives of the citizens of the developing world. Spending less than one-half of 1 percent of the federal budget, USAID works around the world to achieve these goals.

USAID’s history goes back to the Marshall Plan reconstruction of Europe after World War Two and the Truman Administration’s Point Four Program. In 1961, the Foreign Assistance Act was signed into law and USAID was created by executive order.

Since that time, USAID has been the principal U.S. agency to extend assistance to countries recovering from disaster, trying to escape poverty, and engaging in democratic reforms.

USAID is an independent federal government agency that receives overall foreign policy guidance from the Secretary of State. Their work supports long-term and equitable economic growth and advances U.S. foreign policy objectives by supporting:

• economic growth, agriculture and trade;
• global health; and,
• democracy, conflict prevention and humanitarian assistance.

USAID provides assistance in five regions of the world:

• Sub-Saharan Africa;
• Asia;
• Latin America and the Caribbean,
• Europe and Eurasia; and
• The Middle East.

With headquarters in Washington, D.C., USAID’s strength is its field offices around the world. They work in close partnership with private voluntary organizations, indigenous organizations, universities, American businesses, international agencies, other governments, and other U.S. government agencies. USAID has working relationships with more than 3,500 American companies and over 300 U.S.-based private voluntary organizations.

###

*  The above story is adapted from materials provided by U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)

______________________________________________________________________