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Democracy, Conflict and Humanitarian Assistance
Please note: All linked documents are in PDF format
| Objective |
FY 2004 |
FY 2005 |
FY 2006 |
| Office of Conflict Management & Mitigation |
11044 |
18004 |
10000 |
| Office of Democracy and Governance |
27,404 |
29,092 |
21,050 |
| Office of Food for Peace |
1,196,632 |
1,182,041 |
1,194,000 |
| Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance |
550,993 |
308,615 |
235,500 |
| Office of Private Voluntary Cooperation and American Schools and Hospitals Abroad |
41,855 |
42,146 |
36,706 |
| Office of Transition Initiatives |
221,346 |
199,361 |
50,000 |
| Total (in thousands of dollars) |
2,049,274 |
1,779,259 |
1,547,256 |
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The mission of the Bureau for Democracy, Conflict and Humanitarian Assistance (DCHA) is to save lives; alleviate suffering; support democracy; and promote opportunities for people adversely affected by poverty, conflict, natural disasters and a breakdown of good governance. The Bureau has taken a number of steps to better integrate and situate its diverse mission in a changing world. Together with the U.S. Department of State, USAID developed the Joint State/USAID Strategic Plan focusing activities around strategic goals relating to the National Security Strategy. These goals most prominently feature: democracy and governance, regional stability and humanitarian assistance. They focus the Bureau conjointly with the Department of State on the challenges most representative of the 21st Century. Additionally, the Bureau has established the DCHA Management Council as a decision-making group that has the responsibility to develop a strategic approach to DCHA programs.
The Development Challenge: Within these broad goals the Agency and the DCHA Bureau are consolidating around certain themes. An Agency-wide Conflict Policy, defining the role the Agency and the Bureau will play in conflict situations, has been adopted. This policy will ensure that all USAID programs include at their base a conflict assessment and sensitivity as to how USAID relates to on-going tensions within host country work environments that possess the capacity to devolve into violent conflict. Conflict, though the severest form of breakdown of civil authority, is not by any means the only harbinger of severe humanitarian problems to come. For this reason, together with the Bureau for Policy and Program Coordination (PPC), DCHA undertook drafting a policy and policy implementation guidelines to address broad issues of failed and failing states. An Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) Policy has been put into place to better focus the Agency's attention on the growing number of IDPs resulting from the various forms of state failure and conflict, the result of failed development. Together with other donors and United Nations agencies, guidelines entitled a Common Approach to IDP's and a Good Humanitarian Donorship Initiative seek to standardize treatment of and to protect individuals in times of crises. A new Humanitarian Protection Unit within DCHA further assures on the ground and active assistance in defense of at-risk individuals.
The emphasis the National Security Strategy places on democracy and governance as the key to development poses a particular challenge to DCHA, as periods of nascent democracy have been documented to be associated with a high degree of instability and state failure (State Failure Task Force). The potential for future democratization has been shown to be associated with a great deal of near-term risks in addition to opportunities. USAID's January 2004 White Paper, U.S. Foreign Aid: Meeting the Challenges of the Twenty-first Century, firmly committed the Agency to work toward democracy, good governance and stability goals from a national security and development perspective. To better meet these challenges and those of failing states DCHA has been working with other USAID bureaus and offices to develop implementation guidelines and interact on an on-going basis with the State Department and other operational U.S. Government agencies. A seamless interface with the Departments of State, and Defense and other agencies to the twin crises of conflict and failing states are the anticipated result.
The new year was not yet in place when a modern catastrophe of historic proportions changed the perception of and call for humanitarian assistance beyond recognition. The devastating aftermath of the Asian tsunami will continue to place a major demand on DCHA resources both human and financial through FY 2005 and FY 2006. USAID's Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA) is a primary responder to this and other natural as well as man-made disasters. The OFDA Operations Center is being staffed around the clock to coordinate assistance. It has become a major focus of national media attention in reporting on the U.S. response to the disaster, and its activities will likely continue at a high level of intensity well beyond the time frame of most catastrophes.
As we continue to look forward in other regions of the world, efforts expended in Sudan with both regular and supplemental DCHA funding assisted in achieving the signing of a peace treaty between the southern rebels and the government in January of this year. Sudan will require continued attention, especially in the Darfur region, in FY 2005 and FY 2006. The Bureau and Agency will continue to work to leverage political commitment and resources from other donors, the United Nations system, and private and voluntary organizations to address the problems of poverty, state fragility, stabilization and growth around the world.
The availability of food and the ability to sustain oneself are frequently two of the initial and most pressing challenges faced by populations in times of crisis, whether natural or political in nature. Present crises are no exception. The needs resulting from the Asian tsunami have required the rapid diversion of food from other programs and draw-down of pre-positioned stocks. Feeding IDPs, as yet uncounted but perhaps numbering in the millions, will require food resources not previously contemplated for the budgetary period. Long-term commitments to chronically food insecure countries like Ethiopia, relief for war-ravaged and famished nations in West Africa and Afghanistan, in addition to a long-term commitment to meet World Food Summit pledges to provide growing food security for the world's 800 million malnourished, place both long- and short-term calls on food resources. Available budgetary resources in food were already insufficient to meet the assessed food security needs around the world prior to the advent of the tsunami. The food situation in FY 2005 and looking forward into FY 2006 is a major budgetary and resource concern. The Administration is requesting $300 million in untied cash to address problems of hunger combined with food resources to greatly facilitate a rapid and efficient response.
All of DCHA's eight offices are functioning increasingly in an integrated manner to meet overlapping humanitarian needs and lay the groundwork for ameliorating the underlying conditions of the crisis, thereby achieving sustainable stabilization and growth. Shared services; a shared governance, stabilization and recovery backstop; and close cooperation with the non-governmental organization (NGO) community which implements DCHA programs are characteristics which increasingly define DCHA. Working together, the offices of DCHA apply some unique programming and authorities to further the Bureau's and USAID's strategic mission. Under the unifying framework of DCHA, the offices include:
- Office of Food for Peace (FFP): The activities of the FFP Office are designed to fit and directly link to the Joint State/USAID Strategic Plan, especially the humanitarian response goal to "Minimize the Human Costs of Displacement, Conflicts, and Natural Disasters." The Office's strategic priorities that continue into FY 2006 include: crafting a unified food security strategy, completion of all major streamlining of office procedures, reorientation of the P.L. 480 Title II program operationally to better address vulnerability, and respond to the Office of Management and Budget's (OMB) Program Assessment Rating Tool (PART) recommendation to focus on higher order results (people-level) impacts.
- Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA): OFDA's strategic priorities in FY 2006 will remain: to save lives, alleviate suffering, and reduce the economic impact of disasters. OFDA continues to provide appropriate and coordinated relief aid to populations affected by complex emergencies and natural disasters. Targeted sectors include shelter, health, water, sanitation, nutrition, and coordination. OFDA will also continue to dedicate a portion of its resources to risk management activities, which reduce vulnerability to disasters, enhance local response capacities, and ultimately decrease OFDA's need to respond to disasters in certain situations.
OFDA's humanitarian response activities support the joint objectives and goals of the Department of State and USAID. Specifically, OFDA activities support the Joint State/USAID strategic objective, "Advance Sustainable Development and Global Interests"; and the strategic goal, "Minimize the Human Costs of Displacement, Conflicts, and Natural Disasters."
- Office of Transition Initiatives (OTI): OTI's strategic priority is to support transition to democracy and to the long-term development of countries in crisis by providing assistance that develops, strengthens, or preserves democratic institutions and processes, revitalizes basic infrastructure, and fosters the peaceful resolution of conflict. As the key DCHA office involved in transition and stabilization, OTI plays a pivotal role in supporting the Department of State and Defense and USAID stabilization activities around the world, and will support implementation of USAID's Fragile States Strategy. OTI's operational procedures in transition environments reflect the view expressed by USAID's Administrator that the new strategy for fragile states will require "a flexible operational response, including funding flexibility in failing states and funding predictability in recovering states; quick deployment of expert staff; and a strong field presence equipped to detect signs of fragility and respond with informed speed." OTI's ten-year experience in failed, failing and recovering states places it in a unique position to assist, not just with new programs, but with technical assistance and strengthened partnerships with field missions and regional bureaus.
- Office of Private Voluntary Cooperation/American Schools and Hospitals Abroad (PVC/ASHA): PVC/ASHA's efforts are directly linked to two performance goals of the Joint State/USAID Strategic Plan: (1) Close, strong, and effective U.S. ties with allies, friends, partners, and regional organizations, and (2) Institutions, laws, and policies that foster private sector-led growth, macroeconomic stability, and poverty reduction. The Office's strategic priorities that continue into FY 2006 include: organizational strengthening of local NGOs and NGO networks; field support; research and outreach.
ASHA provides assistance to overseas institutions to demonstrate U.S. advances in educational and medical technology and practices in the areas of research, training, and patient care. ASHA modified its program strategy in FY 2004, providing grants to schools, hospitals, libraries and other academic and medical institutions to update their research and training facilities.
- Office of Conflict Management and Mitigation (CMM): CMM's strategic priorities support the Joint State/USAID Goal of "Regional Stability," and the specific performance goal, "Existing and Emergent Regional Conflicts are Contained or Resolved." The Office's strategic priorities that continue into FY 2006 include: technical assistance; formation of technical staff, training and outreach; and Congressionally directed activities. With a top priority of providing technical assistance to the field, in FY 2006 CMM intends to program approximately $8.6 million (or 78% of its requested $11 million budget) for the following activities: direct funding of field-based programs, technical support to the field such as conflict assessments and program design, a conflict watch list, and the formulation and promulgation of numerous "toolkits" to help missions understand and address the linkages between conflict and more traditional development sectors.
In FY 2004, an additional $16.5 million for conflict management and mitigation was planned for the geographic regions: AFR: $8.0 million, ANE: $1.7 million, and LAC: $6.8 million. In FY 2005, an additional $12.2 million for conflict management and mitigation is planned for the geographic regions: AFR $6.7 million, ANE $2.6 million, LAC $2.7 million and PPC $.2 million. In FY 2006, an additional $38.8 million for conflict management and mitigation is planned for the geographic regions: AFR $20 million, ANE $5.0 million, LAC $2.6 million and PPC $1.185 million.
- Office of Democracy and Governance (DG): The mission statement of the DG Office is encompassed within the two performance goals of the Joint State/USAID Strategic Plan under the strategic goal for democracy and human rights. The Office's strategic priorities continuing into FY 2006 include: field support, technical leadership, fragile states and anti-corruption. Major areas of focus include: the Rule of Law Program, the Elections and Political Processes Program, the Civil Society Program, the Governance Program, and Special Programs to Address the Needs of Survivors. These programs have proved, through interaction with USAID missions overseas, to meet the challenges of broadening civil society and enlarging political participation and have entailed a great deal of demand for services from all regions of USAID's involvement.
- Office of Volunteers for Prosperity (VfP): USAID is the lead agency charged with administering the interagency coordination of the President's initiative, Volunteers for Prosperity, and works with appropriate agencies and departments to meet initiative objectives. The Office for Volunteers for Prosperity is housed in the DCHA Bureau. The Volunteers for Prosperity initiative, launched in September 2003, supports major U.S. development activities overseas, using highly skilled American professionals to help meet the U.S. Government's global health and prosperity agenda. American volunteers in a variety of fields serve for a period of time, ranging from a few weeks to up to several years, depending on the project. Presently, VfP supports six other Presidential initiatives, including the Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, the Digital Freedom Initiative, Water for the Poor, Trade for African Development and Enterprise, the Middle East Partnership Initiative, and the Millennium Challenge Corporation. Other initiatives may be added at the discretion of the President.
View the Volunteers for Prosperity website.
- Office of Program Policy and Management (PPM) - The PPM Office provides technical assistance, management and support services to various offices, both within and outside the DCHA Bureau.
Program And Management Challenges: To be effective, DCHA's interventions must be well coordinated, the responses must be rapid but careful, and the approaches must be appropriately integrated if lives are to be saved and suffering reduced, conflict prevented or mitigated, non-governmental organizations' and other local institutions' capacities strengthened, and democracy and good governance buttressed. The coming years present particular challenges:
- The Bureau needs to continue to actively pursue a resource-leveraging approach with our partners in order to address the many humanitarian and development challenges,
- The Bureau needs to create a new crisis, stabilization and governance professional personnel classification, referred to as backstop 76, for professional hiring and career placement to better address the growing number of crises worldwide, state failure and conflict. Developing this new professional category will allow the Agency to recruit, develop and retain the skills needed to address problems in a challenging environment where problems of political instability and conflict remain in the forefront.
- Finding qualified human resources of a medium-term horizon during the Asian tsunami and other mega-crises like Sudan, and integrating these individuals effectively into Agency operations presents an immediate and on-going challenge.
- Enhancing a planned-for-crisis response and stabilization capacity capable of supporting the implementation of USAID's Fragile States Strategy and serving as the operational arm of the State Department's Crisis, Recovery and Stabilization Unit, as well as efforts by the Department of Defense, will pose continuing challenges.
Other Program Elements: DCHA is a "pillar bureau-plus" within USAID. Like the Agency's other two pillar bureaus (i.e., Global Health, and Economic Growth, Agriculture, and Trade), DCHA provides field support to overseas missions and serves as a center of technical excellence for programs in democracy and governance, conflict, private and voluntary cooperation, and humanitarian assistance. However, several of DCHA's offices have direct responsibility for field programs. This is true of OFDA, OTI, PVC, ASHA and FFP. DCHA is making a concerted effort to integrate its programs more fully with those of other USAID bureaus. DCHA also continues its work on ensuring close coordination with the Departments of State, Agriculture and Defense, the National Security Council, and other parts of the U.S. Government.
Other Donors: A hallmark of DCHA's programs is the degree to which they involve partners, including private voluntary organizations, cooperative development organizations, non-governmental organizations, for-profit contractors, American schools and hospitals sponsoring overseas institutions, United Nations agencies, international organizations, and other bilateral and multilateral donors. DCHA intends to continue working closely with the U.S. foreign affairs community, particularly the Department of State, on donor coordination and other partnering relationships. The Bureau plans to form an increased number of alliances with entities such as the U.S. Institute for Peace; the Department of Defense; indigenous religious institutions dedicated to conflict prevention, mitigation, and resolution; and other governmental and non- governmental organizations.
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