In a letter to President Barack Obama on June 2, 2010, InterAction expressed concern over the continuing staffing delays at USAID. The Director for the Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA), which has been vacant since January of 2009, and the Assistant Administrator for the Bureau of Democracy, Conflict and Humanitarian Affairs (DCHA) are among several of the positions that have been sent to the White House, and have yet to have been acted upon.
InterAction urged the president to expedite the process of appointing senior level USAID officials to effectively lead in a time marked by complex humanitarian and development challenges abroad. Without them, USAID may jeopardize its ability to influence critical, ongoing policy reviews. Specifically, the State Department is nearing its final stages on an interim report on its Quadrennial Diplomacy and Development Review (QDDR). Heightened levels of engagement from USAID can only be achieved if the majority of vacancies are filled during the final stages of the QDDR. Without reliable leadership, questions about the credibility of this process and outcome may be raised.
Foreign Policy The Cable: Vacancies at USAID worry development hands
InterAction Letter to Obama on USAID Appointments
