MFAN: Prepares to blog the State Department’s QDDR

Modernizing Foreign Assistance Network (MFAN) is a reform coalition composed of international development and foreign policy practitioners, policy advocates and experts, concerned citizens and private sector organizations.

MFAN’s goal is to help build a safer, more prosperous world by strengthening the United States’ ability to alleviate extreme poverty, create opportunities for growth, and secure human dignity in developing countries. Its members are “some of the most well known experts and organizations in the world. They make up the critical link between U.S. international development policy and its practice in the field, providing a unique perspective that informs its recommendations for streamlining and enhancing U.S. investments in the health, stability and economic growth of developing countries.” See more of the leadership here.

The release of initial findings from the State Department’s landmark Quadrennial Diplomacy & Development Review (QDDR) will for the first time provide a strategic blueprint for U.S. development and foreign assistance efforts. MFAN considers this a key moment in the long push for foreign assistance reform, and has launched a blog series to ensure lively debate about the goals and impacts of the QDDR (the preliminary report expected to be released sometime in April with the full report to be released in fall this year). 

The maiden post was by MFAN Co-Chair George Ingram (MFAN QDDR Blog Series: Time for Hard Questions | March 16th, 2010). This was followed by QDDR Blog Series: MFAN Principal Noam Unger on the Relation to the PSD on March 17th, 2010.

Development experts from across the MFAN community will post blogs on the QDDR and the importance of transparency, civil society engagement, gender, ownership, and legislation to making U.S. foreign assistance more effective and accountable. 

Check back here and on www.Twitter.com/ModernizeAid for the group’s updates.