Aid Proposal Targets Regional "Stability Anchors," Official Says
Washington -- Countries that could serve as anchors for regional stability and prosperity, such as Nigeria, Ukraine, Georgia, Pakistan, Jordan and Indonesia, would see increases in foreign aid under the Bush administration's fiscal year 2008 budget proposal, says U.S. Director of Foreign Assistance Randall Tobias.
(Media-Newswire.com) - Washington -- Countries that could serve as anchors for regional stability and prosperity, such as Nigeria, Ukraine, Georgia, Pakistan, Jordan and Indonesia, would see increases in foreign aid under the Bush administration's fiscal year 2008 budget proposal, says U.S. Director of Foreign Assistance Randall Tobias.
The proposed $20.3 billion aid budget -– a $2.2 billion, or 12 percent, increase over fiscal year 2006 enacted levels -- was developed in consultation with U.S. aid officials, who rated individual countries' progress as measured by standardized indicators that assess poverty, human capacity, life expectancy, governance and barriers to economic growth, Tobias said.
Funding for Western Hemisphere countries would increase 4 percent from fiscal year 2006 to $1.66 billion, with a shift from health and basic education, where the region has made more gains than other regions, to programs that support economic growth and progress toward democracy, he said.
Fiscal year 2006 is the last year for which complete allocation information is available.
Countries in Europe and Eurasia would get 26 percent less U.S. funding in fiscal year 2008 than in fiscal year 2006 under the president’s request, a proposed reduction that reflects development successes already achieved in the region.
However, Kosovo and Serbia, which continue to face difficult challenges, would receive 27 percent of the total request for fiscal year 2008 for the region. Countries like Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova, which are implementing reforms, and countries in which democracy is facing challenges – such as Russia and Belarus -- together would receive 30 percent of the assistance funding sought for Europe and Eurasia, Tobias said.
The proposed funding for South and Central Asia is a 6 percent increase over the fiscal year 2006 enacted level, with Afghanistan and Pakistan accounting for 84 percent of the region’s increase.
Yet the proposed request would reduce funding for the five former Soviet Central Asian countries by 24 percent. Most of this reduction affects Uzbekistan, whose government has worked to "limit U.S. assistance related to reform," and Kazakhstan, whose income from oil lessens the need for U.S. aid, Tobias said.
Africa would receive $4.4 billion, a 54 percent increase over assistance levels authorized in fiscal year 2006, and East Asia and the Pacific would receive a 15 percent increase, Tobias said.
Aid also would continue to meet ongoing needs in Iraq, Afghanistan and Sudan, and to prepare for and respond to instances of avian flu, he said.
Funding for the Near East in fiscal year 2008 would climb 4 percent, with 93 percent of total spending for the region going to Iraq, Israel, Egypt and Jordan.
Representative Tom Lantos, the committee's chair, criticized a proposed cut in aid to India of about 35 percent, saying it would harm relations that have improved since the United States reached a civilian nuclear cooperation agreement deal with that country. ( See related article. )
"I know that our assistance to India is modest, particularly in relation to the need, but this is a horrible signal to send to, hopefully, a newly trusting ally," he said.
Lantos also criticized proposed cuts to organizations working for democratic reform and human rights in Russia.
Russia has been criticized widely for using a new law expanding government controls over foreign-based entities to crack down on nongovernmental organizations engaged in democracy-building activities. ( See related article. )
"At a time when supporters of democratic reform, the rule of law and human rights are being assassinated or carted off to the gulags of Siberia, we should not be starving these groups of support," Lantos said.
The full text of Tobias' prepared testimony is available on the House Foreign Relations Committee Web site.
For more information, see Global Development and Foreign Aid.
( USINFO is produced by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov ) By Kathryn McConnell USINFO Staff Writer
This story was released on 2007-03-12. Please make sure to visit the official company or organization web site to learn more about the original release date. See our disclaimer for additional information.