Blog Moderator's blog

On President Obama’s first day in office, he signed an executive order that called for open, transparent government.

The order is based on the principles that openness should be the default position of the US Government, citizens should be given more opportunities to participate in and collaborate with the US Government, and the data the US government collects is a national asset that should be accessible to its citizens.

Will Raj Shah commit USAID to joining the top 10 percent most transparent donors by the time he leaves his USAID Administrator post?

Six miles from the Jordan-Syria border there’s a safe haven for more than 20,000 Syrians who have fled their homes. Though far from the fighting, the refugee camp is still a distressing place for children and youth who make up almost half of the population. One of the few escapes the children have is a local playground constructed by Mercy Corps last year.

Many of the great development challenges – water, infectious diseases, food insecurity, energy, climate change, connectivity, and biodiversity loss – have at their origins or find their solutions through science, technology and innovation. Many of the biggest leaps forward in development over the last decades were possible because of major breakthroughs in science and technology (S&T).

The presence of hundreds of thousands of displaced Syrians, including countless vulnerable youth, is one of the most familiar – and challenging – aspects of the current Syrian refugee crisis. Most of these displaced youth are living in cities and towns in often desperate conditions, where a very different humanitarian response is required than in traditional camp programming, where most of the long-term expertise in the humanitarian community lies.

"Eat Locally Grown Cashew – Healthy, Nutritional and Tasty." Sounds like a promotion you might see in your local Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods, right? How about in Africa’s smallest country, The Gambia?

In Kenya’s urban slums, an ambitious effort is under way to meet the reproductive health care needs of women who struggle to receive the most basic medical care. The project strives to reach women where they live, employing innovative approaches like mobile health clinics, mothers’ support groups and teams of community health workers going door to door. What also distinguishes this project in today’s environment of foreign aid debates and tight budgets is the dynamic group of public and private partners committed to its success.

As an anti-hunger advocate, I am holding my breath. I am hopeful about the global change that President Obama could make in his second term, especially when it comes to reducing poverty, but I worry Congress might toss the hungry off the fiscal cliff.

Waing (the name has been changed to protect her identity) did not understand where her strength came from. Her exhausted legs still tried to keep moving and followed the narrow path between the mountains. The chilling wind and hunger could not stop her as she was determined to go home.

“I kept telling myself that I [must] go home and I must see my father’s face before I die.”

Monday is Inauguration Day. As President Obama takes the oath of office for the second time, his foreign policy team is getting a makeover. Obama’s nominations of John Kerry for State, Chuck Hagel for Defense, and Jack Lew for Treasury will put new faces in the three U.S. government cabinet roles with the most impact on America’s global development efforts.