Accra Action Agenda Finalized:
A Realistically Ambitious Development Agenda
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 4, 2008
Press Office: 202-712-4320
Public Information: 202-712-4810
www.usaid.gov
Accra, Ghana: Late on the final day of the High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness, delegations from more than 100 countries and multilateral organizations came to final resolution of a new development agenda to guide aid implementation over the next two years. The United States delegation succeeded in inserting into the Accra Agenda for Action (AAA) several concrete actions to significantly advance the implementation of the Paris Declaration so that partner developing countries would assume more ownership, accountability and partnership with U.S. foreign assistance.
Henrietta Fore, the U.S. Delegation leader (and Director of U.S. Foreign Assistance and Administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development) stated immediately following the Ministerial-level negotiating session: "The United States is pleased with the new Accra Agenda for Action. It is a realistically ambitious agenda. It seeks to change the face of poverty and help developing nations to manage aid more effectively." She continued, "Our President and our Congress demand that U.S. foreign assistance be used to improve the lives of the poor. But also that we use these precious taxpayer funds effectively. I am happy to say that the AAA will help to make our assistance more effective and our partner countries programming more results-oriented."
U.S. Deputy Delegation Leader, Maureen Harrington of the Millennium Challenge Corporation stated: "Broad country ownership, including governments, civil society and the private sector, is critical to aid effectiveness. Our collective success depends on partner countries embracing sound political, social and economic policies and effective collaboration among all partners. The Accra Action Agenda recognizes the importance of country ownership and transparency in ensuring governments are accountable for their development outcomes."
In addition, at a widely attended Public-Private Partnership briefing hosted by the U.S. Delegation, Ghanaian and other African country private sector partners reiterated that the role of aid and its quality should reflect how effectively donors and partner developing country governments engage the private sector in the development process. A partnership between donors, governments and the private sector needs to create in-country conditions that fuel private investment and stimulate entrepreneurship - leveraged through small and medium enterprises.
U.S. Government development assistance resolves to reduce poverty, improve economic growth and promote sustainable development with partner developing countries. For further information on the 2008 High Level Forum in Accra please visit www.usaid.gov.
The American people, through the U.S. Agency for International Development, have provided economic and humanitarian assistance worldwide for nearly 50 years.
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