USAID

What is USAID?

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) was set up in the early 1960s to administer humanitarian aid programs on behalf of the US government.

It employs around 10,000 people, two-thirds of whom work overseas, according to the Congressional Research Service. It has bases in more than 60 countries and works in dozens of others. However, most of the work on the ground is carried out by other organizations that are contracted and funded by USAID.

The range of activities it undertakes is vast. For example, not only does USAID provide food in countries where people are starving, it also operates the world’s gold-standard famine detection system, which uses data analysis to try to predict where food shortages are emerging.

According to government data, the US spent $68bn (£55bn) on international aid in 2023.

That total is spread across several departments and agencies, but USAID’s budget constitutes more than half of it at around $40bn – that’s about 0.6% of total US annual government spending of $6.75tn.

The vast majority of USAID money is spent in Asia, sub-Saharan Africa and Europe – primarily on humanitarian efforts in Ukraine.

SOURCE: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/clyezjwnx5ko