The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is the United States Government agency primarily responsible for administering civilian foreign aid. Responding to President Barack Obama's pledge in his 2013 State of the Union Address to "join with our allies to eradicate extreme poverty in the next two decades," USAID has adopted as its mission statement "to partner to end extreme poverty and to promote resilient, democratic societies while advancing the security and prosperity of the United States." USAID operates in Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Middle East, and Eastern Europe. USAID is a core partner for achieving the goals of the Global Health Security Agenda The risks posed by outbreaks of infectious disease are not new, we know that, but in our interconnected world, they are intensifying. To prevent, detect and respond to infectious disease outbreaks, we must work across all sectors of all governments and across nations in a concerted global effort. In November 2015, President Barack Obama named the next round of partner countries in the Global Health Security Agenda (GHSA) and committed the United States to partnerships with, and support of, countries that are developing the capacity to prevent, detect and respond to future disease outbreaks. GHSA was launched in February 2014 to advance a world safe and secure from infectious disease threats and to bring together nations from all over the world to make new, concrete commitments and to elevate global health security to a priority at the national leadership level. GHSA is a global effort, with central support from the U.S. Government, involving national governments, international organizations and civil society groups focused on accelerating progress toward achieving the World Health Organization’s International Health Regulations and elevating global attention to the shared risks posed by infectious diseases.
USAID leads international development and humanitarian efforts to save lives, reduce poverty, strengthen democratic governance and help people progress beyond assistance.
