USAID partner IAVI makes groundbreaking HIV/AIDS discovery

The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) congratulates its partner, the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI) for its recent findings that may bring the scientific community a bit closer to an HIV vaccine. The results allow scientists to understand the dynamics of naturally occurring protective mechanisms that some people have against HIV.

Throughout the course of the study entitled, "Protocol G: A Cross Sectional Study to Screen For and Generate Broadly Neutralizing Monoclonal Antibodies from HIV Infected Individuals," scientists discovered that some people who are exposed to HIV have created antibodies that effectively block or neutralize the virus. These promising findings point to important clues that will inform on-going work to design a vaccine against HIV.

USAID and IAVI have been in a cooperative agreement since 2006 to accelerate the discovery of an AIDS vaccine. With the support of USAID, IAVI was able to test over 1,800 HIV positive individuals in several developing countries leading to the discovery of these highly effective antibodies that create immunity against many strains of HIV.

The findings, which were published in the journal Science, provide critical information that is sure to shape vaccine research in the future.

USAID's Office of HIV/AIDS commends IAVI on its diligent and insightful success and is proud to have supported them in this exciting work.

"We are delighted with IAVI's promising and novel achievements; if there is one thing USAID understands, it's the importance of setting long range goals," said David Stanton, division chief in USAID's Office of HIV/AIDS. "Translating these findings into an actual vaccine will surely take time and much more work, but Protocol G provides important insight into what an effective vaccine might need to look like."

USAID partners to Map the Afghanistan Elections, Invites All to Share Data on Open Platform

WASHINGTON, DC. - USAID has partnered with Fortius One's GeoCommons, Google, Development Seed, Relief Star-Tides, Synergy Strike Force, and Alive in Afghanistan to map election related incidents online -- enabling anyone to share information that bolsters the fledgling democracy.

See maps and layers of data uploaded at http://news.geocommons.com/afghanistanelection09.

Volunteers from the Synergy Strike Force are on the ground in Jalalabad and are helping to collect, share, and disseminate local data. The Synergy Strike Force (SSF) is a volunteer team that works to support humanitarian relief and stabilization efforts in post conflict environments such as those in Jalalabad, Afghanistan. The SSF is a private volunteer organization comprised of individuals with various technical skills and access to a wide range of social network.

Anyone interested in supporting the effort is welcome to participate by uploading any geographically coded data at http://maker.geocommons.com/. If anyone in country has an incident to report via cell phone, they can send a text message to +93 79 404 0569

This open data mapping project is one way for everyone to increase transparency as the elections roll out. It allows anyone anywhere to report an incident in the name of more meaningful democratic results for better governance.

Read about the potential uses of the maps for analysis and policymaking at www.GlobalDevelopmentCommons.net. For more information about the partners and tools involved, please visit http://www.globaldevelopmentcommons.net/node/2776.

This partnership was achieved through USAID's Global Development Commons initiative, which seeks to catalyze innovations for better international development results.

USAID Releases NGO Sustainability Report

WASHINGTON D.C. - The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) today released the 12th edition of the NGO Sustainability Index, a key analytical tool that measures the progress of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in the Europe and Eurasia region.

USAID Acting Assistant Administrator for Europe & Eurasia, Susumu (Ken) Yamashita said, "USAID is pleased to have been a partner with the NGO community in the region over nearly the past 20 years. We firmly believe that a strong civil society is the key to a robust and sustainable democracy. USAID is pleased to provide this information to our partners and all development practitioners, in the interest of sharing regional and country trends on the strength and effectiveness of civil society."

USAID tracks the progress of the NGO sector in 29 countries in Europe and Eurasia. Contained in the 12-year collection is a historical record that provides a wealth of data on each country. This year's Index indicates NGOs across Central and Eastern Europe and Eurasia continued to pursue their roles as key agents of change in their societies. They faced diverse and wide-ranging challenges, from basic struggles with registration to recruiting volunteers to fine-tuning favorable tax provisions. While gaps persist between the more developed NGO sectors of Central and Eastern Europe versus those of Eurasia, NGOs in more developed countries were not immune from organizational and funding problems, and NGOs in even the most repressive countries managed to make their voices heard. This report seeks to capture the complex and dynamic nature of these trends and tendencies.

Two articles highlight trends that significantly affect NGO sustainability in the region. In "NGO Service Provision to the Public: Impacts on Civil Society and Democracy," Kristie Evenson explores the growing importance of service delivery NGOs. Elizabeth Warner, in "Public Financing Mechanisms and Their Implications for NGO Sustainability," examines mechanisms that governments throughout the region are using to finance NGO activities: state funds, contracting, taxpayer designation systems, and subsidies.

USAID's NGO Sustainability Index examines the overall enabling environment for civil society, focusing on seven dimensions: legal environment, organizational capacity, financial viability, advocacy, service provision, infrastructure, and public image. Each country report provides an in-depth analysis of the NGO sector along with comparative information regarding prior years' dimension scores, which are encapsulated in easy-to-read charts. Dimension scores for 1997-2008 are summarized in Annex A. The full report can be found on USAID's Europe and Eurasia Website, http://www.usaid.gov/locations/europe_eurasia/dem_gov/ngoindex/index.htm.

USAID Salutes Humanitarians Worldwide

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The United Nations has designated August 19, 2009, as the first annual World Humanitarian Day in honor of those who devote their lives to helping others and in remembrance of those who have lost their lives while doing so. Around the world, humanitarian workers, including thousands of U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) staff, work in dangerous, challenging places to bring a better life to millions, even as their efforts continue to be limited by increasingly frequent and targeted attacks on humanitarian staff.

Today, we remember the 91 USAID employees and countless colleagues from the international community who have made the ultimate sacrifice pursuing the promise of a better world. They are the model that we, and future generations of humanitarians, should look to for inspiration.

Due largely to the selfless dedication of aid workers past and present, the humanitarian community's ability to respond to crises has improved markedly, but humanitarian needs continue to grow. Long-term conflicts are exacting an unconscionable toll on civilians. Natural disasters are becoming increasingly severe and frequent. And the combined effects of the food crisis, chronic poverty, population growth, and urbanization now present us with new and unknown challenges. On this World Humanitarian Day, USAID reiterates its commitment to work in close partnership with the international community to extend a hand to help those who are struggling to make a better life or recover from a crisis.

USAID is the U.S. Government's lead agency for providing assistance to people in need. To date in fiscal year 2009, USAID has responded to 46 disasters affecting populations in 38 countries. For more information on USAID's humanitarian assistance programs, please visit http://www.usaid.gov/our_work/humanitarian_assistance/ .

The U.S. Agency for International Development has provided economic and humanitarian assistance worldwide for more than 40 years.

African Diaspora Marketplace Program Receives 733 Business Plan Proposals for Economic Growth in African Communities

WASHINGTON, D.C. and DENVER - August 13, 2009 - The inaugural African Diaspora Marketplace (ADM) closed its call for proposals and has exceeded expectations by collecting 733 business proposals. The ADM is a business entrepreneurship program fostering economic development ideas from U.S.-based African diaspora to create plans for sustainable start-up and established businesses in 19 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa.

A collaboration between Western Union and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the ADM aims to leverage the know-how and commitment of diaspora communities to help address poverty and unemployment issues in the region. "We are thrilled to have received so many proposals for the launch of this pilot program," said Alonzo Fulgham, Acting USAID Administrator.

"The African Diaspora Marketplace provides a unique opportunity for entrepreneurs with great ideas and dedication to support economic development in Africa. This incredible response underscores the enormous demand for this type of partnership."

"Through remittances, diaspora are among the strongest and most consistent financial supporters of their countries of origin. By removing some of the barriers to job-creating investment, the ADM provides a new way for diaspora entrepreneurs to generate more sustainable economic opportunity," said Anne McCarthy, Executive Vice President of Corporate Affairs, Western Union.

The ADM will award matching grants of between $50,000 and $100,000 to approximately 10-20 small-and-medium businesses with the strongest proposals for boosting economic opportunity and job creation in Sub-Saharan Africa. The initial business proposals will undergo review by a panel of independent reviewers, and finalists will be announced in late October 2009. The grant pool is financed jointly by USAID, The Western Union Company and the Western Union Foundation, as well as through Western Union® Agent Giving Circles featuring Ecobank Transnational Incorporated (ETI) in Africa and Irv Barr Management in the U.S.

USAID Acting Administrator Addresses Haitian Diaspora Unity Congress

The U.S. Agency for International Development's (USAID) Acting Administrator, Alonzo Fulgham, addressed attendees of the Haitian Diaspora Unity Congress Sunday in Miami Beach, Fla. Fulgham's remarks before the members of the International Congress of the Haitian Diaspora focused on USAID's initiatives to assist Haiti in partnership with members of the Diaspora. Other VIPs who addressed the Congress were Haiti's Prime Minister Michelle Pierre-Louis and former President Bill Clinton.

In his remarks, Fulgham discussed the launch of the Diaspora Market Place, a partnership with USAID and Haiti's Sogebank Foundation that will provide $2 million in resources to support investments by members of the Diaspora with small and medium enterprises in Haiti. Fulgham also praised the Haitian Diaspora for its role in assisting with the response to natural disasters and other crises that have affected Haiti in the last year; and encouraged continued assistance,

USAID's programs support the Haitian government in its efforts to promote stability; implement democratic reforms, build public institutions, and provide access to services for its citizens, particularly in health, education, HIV/AIDS services, food security and response to natural disasters in addition to working to increase economic growth and job opportunities.

Fulgham served from 1984 to 1986 as a Peace Corps volunteer in Port-au-Prince, where he worked with the Government of Haiti and local groups to enhance Haiti's competitiveness through export promotion.

Following his attendance at the Congress, Fulgham departed for a 2-day official visit to Haiti to meet with government officials and conduct oversight of USAID programs.