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Dear USAID friends,
It was an incredible honor to be confirmed by the United States Senate as the Administrator of USAID. I feel privileged to serve, and to join such a dedicated and talented team during a momentous year for international development.
As you can imagine, I'm excited to hit the ground running at USAID. (This excited!)
We have a lot to do: from institutionalizing game-changing Presidential initiatives like Feed the Future and Power Africa to advancing global priorities like achieving gender equality and ending preventable maternal and child deaths, we will continue to support approaches that are having a real impact and changing people's lives for the better.
That includes supporting democratic, accountable institutions, a robust civil society, and a vibrant private sector to make development progress possible. And it includes further strengthening USAID to be as nimble, transparent, and results- driven as it can be.
None of this will be easy, especially in the context of a changing climate and an unprecedented period of humanitarian crisis. But with the help of our partners, we will continue to build on a decades-long legacy of progress. In just the last month, we shared the success of our work to increase access to antiretroviral drugs on World AIDS Day, showcased international efforts to help people overcome climate change during COP21 in Paris and continue to support the humanitarian needs of Syrians.
I look forward to getting to know you and hope you will continue to support our work to end extreme poverty, foster sustained and inclusive growth, and promote resilient, democratic societies around the world.
Sincerely,
Gayle Smith, USAID Administrator |
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Highlights
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#HumanityActs to support Syrians Since 2011, 17 million people have been affected by the conflict in Syria. With winter arrived, families need help to stay warm, fed and healthy. Visit USAID's Humanity Acts page to learn how you can help. Join us Dec. 16 at 1-1:30 p.m. EST for a Twitter chat with USAID's Syria Task Force executive director Rob Jenkins using #HumanityActs. |
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Winter FrontLines now online! What does resilience look like at USAID? It's helping people in developing countries prepare for shocks -- including natural and manmade disasters -- and respond effectively to crises and build back better than before. In the new issue of FrontLines, read more about what that work looks like on the ground and how it is helping communities rebound and prosper. |
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Paris Climate Conversations Climate Change could leave 100 million people in extreme poverty by 2030. That's why USAID supports the global conversation to advance the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development at the Paris Climate Change Conference. Learn more about USAID's climate work at #ActonClimate and online. |
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16 Days, 16 Stories to stop Gender-Based Violence For 16 days, we shared the stories of girls triumphing over violence or threats of violence in countries affected by armed conflict and natural disasters. Discover 16 powerful short stories and GIF animations from around the globe by visiting our Medium page. |
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#MomAndBaby Virtual World Tour Do you know USAID is working to end preventable child and maternal deaths? Join us for a virtual tour of our 24 priority countries, which account for 70% of maternal and child mortality, and learn about our roadmap to save 15 million children and 600,000 women by 2020. Follow the last week of the campaign on Twitter using #MomAndBaby and on Facebook. |
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