In a major effort to accelerate progress in the global fight against hunger and malnutrition, NGO alliance InterAction and the U.S. Agency for International Development have forged a first-of-its-kind agreement designed to leverage the unique assets of NGOs for greater impact.
This agreement was signed yesterday, May 19, on Capitol Hill by Dr. Rajiv Shah, USAID Administrator and Samuel A. Worthington, president and CEO of InterAction, on behalf of the more than 30 InterAction members participating in this new effort, including The Hunger Project.
“This agreement will enable USAID to better align with and leverage the tremendous private resources, technical expertise, and established local community networks of NGOs,” said Samuel A. Worthington. InterAction is the largest coalition of U.S.-based nongovernmental organizations working in the poorest and most vulnerable communities throughout the developing world.
The three-year agreement provides a framework for the U.S. government’s Feed the Future initiative, composed of 10 federal agencies led by USAID, to partner with InterAction members from program design to implementation, and helps ensure that the significant private spending by these NGOs enhances U.S. taxpayer investments to tackle hunger.
The Hunger Project and the more than 30 other InterAction member NGOs participating in this partnership also announced a collective pledge to spend $1.5 billion of their own private funds from 2013 to 2015 to advance food security, nutrition and resilience. This represents a $500 million increase over the original $1 billion commitment made in 2012.
“This groundbreaking agreement will empower communities to grow from the inside out,” said Dr. Rajiv Shah, USAID Administrator. “By harnessing science, technology, innovation, and partnerships, we can unlock opportunity and end widespread hunger for the world’s most vulnerable people.”
Learn More:
- The Hunger Project’s work on Prioritizing Maternal and Childhood Nutrition
- InterAction Press Release: InterAction, USAID Sign Landmark Agreement on Global Food Security
- Visit InterAction’s website
May 20, 2014
