7 Functions of United States Agency for International Development (USAID)

The agency, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is a foreign agency, owned by the United States government, and was established essentially for the purpose of managing, as well as undertaking the administration of civilian foreign aid.

Even though the United States Agency for International Development operates independently, it operates in accordance to guidelines of foreign policy, formulated by either the President and or the Secretary of state and or the National Security Council.

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However, some of the continents of the world, where the United States Agency for International Development operates include, Africa, and Asia, and Latin America, including the Middle East, as well as, Eastern Europe among others.

Functions Of The United States Agency For International Development:

The United States Agency for International Development was established with a number of functions, which we are going to look at them, I mean quite a number of them in this article, and we are going to discover that, much of the functions of the United States Agency for International Development are revolved around the provision of foreign aid to other countries around the world particularly, the developing countries of the world.

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1. Embarks On Foreign Aid Programs

The United States Agency for International Development undertakes programs provided for assisting developing countries of the world.

Such programs could be a kind of foreign aid programmes with a view to provide for, or assist developing countries, sometimes, in the case where there was a crisis, occasioned by the war.

The foreign aid programs are undertaken by the United States Agency for International Development will be served as succour or relief to such wartorn nations.

The United States government, through this international agency, can provide such assistance through collaborating with the relevant authorities or departments within these countries thus, it can help rebuild such wartorn nations.

More so, some of the United States Agency for International development’s foreign aid programs could be as a result of natural disasters, and the assistance rendered in this regard would be through the office of the United States foreign disaster assistance.

In most cases, disaster relief in foreign nations could be carried out by United States non-governmental organizations and or, the United States military.

2. Tackles Illiteracy Around The Nations Of The World

The United States Agency for International Development believed that education is the bedrock of every development across the nations of the world, and so, one of its major functions have been to undertake literacy programs across the nations of the world particularly, those nations of the world classified as the third world nations.

And through these contributions by the United States Agency for International Development, there have been cases of development recorded in these countries.

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3. Alleviates Poverty In Developing Nations Of The World

Some of the developing countries of the world are in dire need of assistance, to cushion the suffering of their low income populace, going by this chronic deprivation hitting these developing countries, the United States Agency for International Development has remained a relief Agency in tackling this problem of poverty afflicting these countries by way of alleviating their poverty.

The United States Agency for International Development is involving in providing succour and poverty relief measures to address this low-income populace of these countries.

This assistance from the United States Agency for International Development comes in different forms, such as assistance to education services and assistance to public health, all targeted at developing countries of the world.

More so, food aid provided by the United States Department of agriculture is managed by the United States Agency for International Development, as well as provision of funds to non governmental organizations that may wished to complement the efforts of the United States Agency for International Development through private donations with a view to alleviate poverty in these countries.

4. Undertakes Global Issues, Such As Trade

There are some global issues that have over the years posed some challenges to the global communities.

The challenge has called for the United States Agency for International Development intervention. The Agency ensures that there is cooperation technically between countries with a view to tackling a wide range of cross border challenges.

These challenges include environmental issues and communicable deceases and safety methods for traded goods and investment and trade cooperation, as well as the laundering of money among other challenges.

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5. Addresses Environmental Issues

Environmental issues remained one aspect that has attracted the attention of the United States Agency for International Development.

It has remained the duty of the Agency to undertake programs that would help in assisting in the areas of conserving, as well as protecting land, and water, and forests, including wildlife.

Greenhouse-gas emissions have been reduced through the functions of the United States Agency for International Development, as well as addressing the risks, occasioned by climate change, globally.

6. Builds Bilateral Interest Among Nations

With a view to built bilateral interest among allies, funds are appropriated to allies, and the funds normally comes in the form of financial assistance, called “economic support funds,” and is actually managed by the United States Agency for International Development, and this assistance rendered by the United States Agency for International Development is in accordance with the policy direction, which must have to do with programs geared towards development assistance.

7. Embarks On Socioeconomic Development Programs Of Developing Nations

The United States Agency for International Development has been of help to the developing countries of the world by way of improving their socioeconomic activities.

Any nation that thrives to be developed must first attain self-sustenance socioeconomically. Going by this fact, the United States Agency for International Development has been saddling with the responsibility of ensuring that, low-income counties attained this status of self-sustenance.

And this is achieved by making sure that these low-income counties’ resources are properly managed.

The United States Agency for International Development, as a United States Agency, funds are normally appropriated to it for the execution of its functions, and so, these funds through proper management, are being given out to low-income counties as financial assistance, and apart from such financial assistance, the United States Agency for International Development is also assisting in areas such as, training and technical advice and can also assist with commodities and with scholarship.

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Conclusion

The United States Agency for International Development was established essentially for the purpose of managing, as well as undertaking the administration of civilian foreign aid.

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