Tag: USAID

  • USAID contractor resigns, alleging work on Palestine was censored

    Alexander Smith, a contractor for the US Agency for International Development (USAID), resigned from his private sector position, saying he could no longer perform contract work for the Biden administration after a presentation he was preparing on Gaza’s humanitarian crisis was cancelled.

    Smith claimed that USAID gave him a choice between resigning or dismissal after he attempted to give a presentation on maternal and child mortality among Palestinians, says a report published by The Guardian.

    “I cannot do my job in an environment in which specific people cannot be acknowledged as fully human, or where gender and human rights principles apply to some, but not to others, depending on their race,” Smith wrote in his resignation letter quoted by The Guardian.

    Smith’s resignation adds to a small but growing list of officials working inside or for the US government who have resigned in protest against the Biden administration’s support for Israel’s genocide in Gaza.

    On Tuesday, Stacy Gilbert, a career official in the US State Department’s Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration (PRM), told staff she was resigning because she felt the State Department had wrongly concluded that Israel was not preventing the entry of aid into Gaza.

    Earlier this month, Lilly Greenberg Call became the first Jewish-American political official to resign. Call worked in the Department of Interior, but there have been a number of high-profile resignations from officials working on the Middle East and defence.

    Major Harrison Mann tendered his resignation from the Department of Defence Intelligence Agency in May, citing Washington’s support for the war on Gaza.

  • Pakistan likely to receive economic assistance from friendly countries soon, says Minister Ahsan Iqbal

    Pakistan likely to receive economic assistance from friendly countries soon, says Minister Ahsan Iqbal

    On Tuesday, Minister for Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal announced that Pakistan is likely to receive confirmation of economic assistance from friendly countries in the coming days. This confirmation is the last condition of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and will be followed by a staff-level deal with the Fund.

    According to Iqbal, Pakistan has fulfilled nearly all conditions previously agreed upon with the IMF by the previous government. Currently, the Fund is requesting confirmation from the friendly countries providing assistance to Pakistan. Once received, the IMF deal will come on track.

    During the US-Pakistan Diaspora and Private Sector for Flood Recovery and Rehabilitation Conference, three Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) were signed with a Pakistan-based US company and US-Pakistani diaspora entities, mobilizing $78 million. The conference was organized by the US Agency for International Development (USAID).

    When questioned about the IMF’s objection to the fuel subsidy announced by the government for the poor segment of society, Iqbal clarified that this was an internal adjustment within the fuel price and no new subsidy was being announced. He expressed hope that the IMF would have no objection to the government’s move.

    Iqbal urged the US-Pakistan Diaspora to support the government’s efforts in recovering and rehabilitating millions of flood-affected people. He appreciated the United States’ pledge of $200 million for flood relief efforts but emphasized that Pakistan needs much more for the complete rehabilitation of millions of people affected by floods.

    In his remarks, United States Ambassador Donald Blome highlighted the contributions of the US-Pakistani diaspora and private sector in building back better for flood-affected communities in Pakistan. He reaffirmed the US government’s commitment to supporting flood relief and recovery efforts, disaster resilience, and food security.

    The conference continued the momentum built at the previous conferences in Islamabad where USAID signed six MoUs mobilizing $75 million. The discussions held in those conferences led to additional contributions and investments to help populations and areas affected by floods. More than 200 participants attended the Building Back Better Conference, including members of the US-Pakistani diaspora, prominent local business leaders, US business representatives, and Pakistani officials. They discussed ways to help the flood-affected population and communities.

    Ambassador Blome emphasized the longstanding US-Pakistan partnership in advancing Pakistan’s economic growth and social and humanitarian causes. He highlighted the need to strengthen climate resilience through the US-Pakistan “Green Alliance” framework and expressed the United States’ commitment to helping the US-Pakistani diaspora and Pakistan-based private companies find opportunities to pursue energy transformation and foster economic growth and development outcomes.

  • US launches $23 million project to enhance Pakistan’s power sector

    US launches $23 million project to enhance Pakistan’s power sector

    The United States (US) said on Friday that it will launch a four-year, $23.5 million initiative in Pakistan to improve energy sector performance.

    As per United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Mission Director Julie A Koenen, the project intends to boost the volume of green energy in Pakistan’s energy mix.

    The US government is collaborating with the Pakistani government to undertake a four-year $23.5 million power sector reform initiative to address climate change and enhance the amount of renewable energy in Pakistan’s energy mix, through USAID.

    It would also strengthen the management and operations of electricity transmission and distribution networks, boosting the financial viability, dependability, and affordability of Pakistan’s power system by providing technical support to the government and private sector.

    Read more: Pakistani rupee plunges by Rs1.05 against the US dollar

    To increase Pakistan’s energy supply, the US and Pakistan have built three dams: Gomal Zam dam in South Waziristan, Satpara dam in Gilgit Baltistan, and Golen Gol dam in Chitral, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, adding 143 megawatts of electricity to the national grid and rehabilitated the Mangla and Tarbela dams and three thermal power plants, connecting up to 860 megawatts of commercially-funded wind and solar projects to the national grid.

  • US Congress passes ‘Malala Yousafzai Scholarship Act’ for Pakistani women

    US Congress passes ‘Malala Yousafzai Scholarship Act’ for Pakistani women

    The US Congress has passed a bill named after Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai that allows more Pakistani women to avail scholarships under a merit and needs-based programme.

    According to the Congress website, the Malala Yousafzai Scholarship Act was passed by the House of Representatives in March last year and the US Senate adopted it by a voice vote last Friday.

    It has now been forwarded to US President Donald Trump to sign it into law.

    The bill requires the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to give at least 50% of scholarships to Pakistani women under Pakistan-based higher education scholarship programme, from 2020 to 2022, across a range of academic disciplines and under current eligibility criteria.

    Sharing the news on social media, Malala thanked the Congress for passing the legislation, saying that she is “very excited to see where they lead us”.

    Malala, who was shot in the head by the Taliban as she was returning home from school in Swat Valley, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in recognition of her efforts for children’s rights in 2014.

    She is now internationally known for human rights advocacy, especially the education of women and children.