You are invited to participate in the next meeting of the Advisory Committee on Voluntary Foreign Aid (ACVFA) to be held on Wednesday, October 1, 2003, from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at the National Press Club, 529 14th Street, N.W., 13th Floor, Washington, D.C. This meeting will commemorate the thirtieth anniversary of the Percy Amendment, showing how gender concerns have transformed development practice, and will also feature discussion of post-conflict reconstruction, the Millennium Challenge Corporation, and HIV/AIDS programs. The meeting is free and open to the public.

The Percy Amendment to the Foreign Assistance Act requires U.S. bilateral assistance programs to enhance the integration of women into the national economies of developing countries. The morning session will be devoted to discussion of the accomplishments of the past 30 years and the importance of continuing to use a gender lens in all development programs. Following keynote remarks by the Administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), Andrew S. Natsios, a distinguished panel of experts from the public and private sectors will talk about how their organizations have integrated gender considerations into their programs and what they see as the key priorities for moving ahead. Participants will have the opportunity to ask questions of the panelists.

The afternoon session will open with a keynote address followed by a panel discussion entitled "Post-Conflict Reconstruction: Strategies for Improving Our Work in Post-Conflict Environments." This panel will focus on the status of the recommendations of the Bipartisan Commission on Post-Conflict Reconstruction and lessons learned from previous conflicts, with specifics on Iraq, Afghanistan, and Sudan. Participants will then hear from the new Chief Executive Officer of the Millennium Challenge Corporation and the Global HIV/AIDS Coordinator who will provide updates on each of these initiatives. There will be ample time for questions after each of their presentations.

The ACVFA is an expert, non-governmental body that advises USAID and other U.S. government agencies on international development and humanitarian assistance. ACVFA members are private citizens appointed by the USAID Administrator and serve without compensation. ACVFA’s public meetings provide a forum for consultation between the public and private sectors on a broad range of foreign assistance issues.

To attend the meeting, contact Ashley Mattison at 202-347-9212 or email pvcsupport@datexinc.com. You may also register online at www.ACVFA.net

Contact Person:
Noreen O'Meara, Director, ACVFA, Office of Private Voluntary Cooperation - American Schools & Hospitals Abroad (PVC-ASHA), Bureau for Democracy, Conflict and Humanitarian Assistance, USAID E-Mail: nomeara@usaid.gov

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