JUBA, SUDAN – The U.S. Government, acting through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), today launched a new agricultural program in partnership with the Government of Southern Sudan (GOSS). The launch ceremony was led by the Minister of Regional Cooperation, General Oyai Deng Ajak; the Minister of Agriculture and Forestry (MAF), Dr. Samson L. Kwaje; USAID Administrator Dr. Rajiv Shah; U.S. Chargé d’Affaires Robert E. Whitehead; and USAID/Sudan Mission Director William Hammink.

The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) hosted a diverse group of private sector representatives in San Salvador today, encouraging them to join the sea turtle conservation effort. Sea turtles, which are an endangered species, nest along the Salvadoran coastline.

U.S. Embassy Charge d'Affaires Robert Blau and representatives from USAID participated in a breakfast with business leaders and members of environmental conservation groups, along with two special guests: Biologist Wallace J. Nichols and Oceanographer and Environmental Economist Fabien Cousteau (grandson of Jacques Cousteau, the celebrated French sailor and researcher).

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Susan Reichle, USAID's Senior Deputy Assistant Administrator for Democracy, Conflict, and Humanitarian Assistance, visited Haiti Wednesday through Friday this week to meet with key stakeholders to discuss the U.S. Government's ongoing transition from emergency response to reconstruction, continued deployment of mitigation efforts in advance of the rainy season, and plans for transitional shelter construction in the next few months.

Washington, D.C. - On Monday, April 26, U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Haiti Task Team Coordinator Paul Weisenfeld and Deputy Director of the Center for Faith-Based and Community Initiatives Ari Alexander met with the Presiding Bishop and Primate of the Episcopal Church, the Most Reverend Katharine Jefferts Schori, and discussed the U.S. government's foreign assistance in Haiti.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - APRIL 24, 2010 - At a high-level nutrition roundtable today co-hosted by Canada, Japan, the United States, through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), and the World Bank, USAID Administrator Dr. Rajiv Shah announced the 20 focus countries of the U.S. Government’s Feed the Future, initiative that targets the causes of hunger and aims to reduce poverty, hunger, and undernutrition.

Washington, DC -- Dr. Rajiv Shah, Administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) released the following statement on the occasion of Earth Day, April 22:

“For more than 30 years, this agency has supported projects that promote conservation of species and habitats in ways that reduce poverty and increase incomes. USAID works with local communities, governments and international partners to improve the management of more than 100 million hectares of natural areas annually.

WASHINGTON, DC - Fresh from his first trip to Afghanistan and Pakistan as Administrator, Dr. Rajiv Shah noted that the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) is partnering with civil society and government officials in the region to build a better future for its people.

BAGHDAD, Iraq - A new private sector initiative designed by the U.S. Agency for International Development to create employment opportunities for young Iraqis was initiated March 25 by the USAID-Tijara Provincial Economic Growth Program. The project hopes to expose young Iraqis living in underserved or impoverished areas to essential business skills and entrepreneurial opportunities.

This year the focus of World Health Day is on the world's growing urban population. The theme, "1000 cities, 1000 lives" provides an opportunity to highlight the work that is being done to improve health in urban settings. The unprecedented rate of urban growth has far outstripped the ability of these cities to provide infrastructure for new residents. This lack of infrastructure will lead to an estimated 2 billion people living in slums over the next 20 years.