Statement by USAID Administrator Dr. Rajiv Shah

In Busan, we came together with colleagues from around the world to chart a new course for global development that will increase the impact of our cooperation and advance global prosperity and security.

Secretary Clinton--the first U.S. Secretary of State to attend the High-Level Forum-- issued a call to action to delegates to shift our approach from traditional aid to investments targeted at tangible returns. In practice, that means prioritizing country ownership and increasing transparency, coordination and accountability for results. We leave Busan with a public commitment that all parties—traditional donors, emerging economies, host nations, multilateral organizations, civil society organizations, and the private sector—support a development agenda on the basis of common goals and shared principles.

Busan was the most inclusive High-Level Meeting on Aid Effectiveness ever held. For the first time, nongovernmental organizations participated in negotiating the forum's outcomes, and the private sector participated at a higher level than ever before. Global leaders endorsed an action plan that recognizes gender equality as central to effective development. And "A New Deal for Fragile States" was put into action to focus our efforts in the countries that need it most.

Building on President Obama's commitment to the Open Government Partnership announced earlier this year, the United States signed on to the International Aid Transparency Initiative. USAID's Evaluation Policy was widely heralded as the gold standard for measuring results on the ground, and MCC for their efforts on transparency.

As we leave Busan, we are heartened by our progress and look forward to collaborating with our partners to implement the new Global Partnership for Effective Development Cooperation. In the spirit of accountability for results, we encourage all stakeholders to monitor adherence by all parties to the principles agreed in Busan so that together we achieve true progress in improving the lives of people throughout the world.

Members of the Delegation

The U.S. delegation to Busan was led by Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton (head of delegation); joined by USAID Administrator Rajiv Shah (head of delegation in the Secretary's absence); and, Millennium Challenge Corporation Chief Executive Officer Daniel W. Yohannes.

The Secretary was also accompanied by Department of State Counselor and Chief of Staff Cheryl D. Mills; Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women's Issues Melanne Verveer; U.S. Representative to the United Nations Agencies for Food and Agriculture Ambassador Ertharin Cousin; Director of Policy Planning Jacob Sullivan; Senior Policy Advisor Cindy Huang; and, Advisor Albert Cho.

Other U.S. representatives in Busan included: USAID Bureau of Economic Growth and Trade Assistant Administrator Eric Postel; USAID Bureau of Democracy, Conflict and Humanitarian Assistance Assistant Administrator Nancy Lindborg; U.S. Permanent Representative to the DAC (USAID) Dirk W. Dijkerman; Department of State Office of Development Finance DirectorRobin Matthewman; Department of State Office of Global Women's Issues Senior Advisor Wenchi Yu; Department of Treasury Director of the Office of International Debt and Development Policy John Hurley; USAID Office of Donor Engagement Senior Advisor Steven Pierce; Millennium Challenge Corporation Vice President Sheila Herrling; Millennium Challenge Corporation Director of Development Cooperation David Weld; and, civil society representative Sam Worthington of InterAction.

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Further Reading