WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Administrator Dr. Rajiv Shah and Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution Dr. G. Wayne Clough signed a memorandum of understanding at the Smithsonian Institution, expanding cooperation between the two agencies in areas such as conservation research, wildlife monitoring, data sharing, cultural preservation, and educational programming.

The memorandum is designed to leverage the scientific, cultural, and education capacity of the Smithsonian Institution to help ensure that advances in science and technology reach developing countries and better address global development challenges. 

At the signing, Dr. Shah said, “Today’s development challenges, like biodiversity loss and wildlife trafficking, are trans-boundary and require solutions that span geographical regions. The partnership between the Smithsonian Institution and USAID is critical to achieving our shared vision of protecting the environment, while advancing human development.”

USAID and the Smithsonian have a long history of working together on many initiatives important to international development such as the post-disaster recovery efforts in Haiti, the Indonesia Biodiversity Research Center, the Biological Diversity of the Guiana Shield Program, and the PREDICT Program to monitor emerging infectious diseases.