FACT SHEET: Biden-Harris Administration Releases U.S. Strategy on Global Development
Today, the White House launched the U.S. Strategy on Global Development to codify the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment and work over the past four years to accelerate development progress in pursuit of a world that is more free, open, prosperous, and secure. Our approach to global development – rooted in partnership, transparency, and a commitment to sustainable outcomes – positions the United States to better meet the challenges of today and tomorrow in coordination with global partners.
The world is at a critical moment. People around the globe are struggling to cope with the effects of compounding crises and challenges that cross borders – whether it is climate change, food insecurity, pandemics, or fragility and conflict. At the same time, in this age of interdependence in which we must find new and better ways to work together to confront shared challenges, geopolitical competition is also reshaping the global development system. Our affirmative development agenda reinforces the United States’ commitment to promoting a world in which everyone can live in dignity, all people are afforded equal opportunity, and no one is left behind.
THE NEW GLOBAL DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY
The U.S. Strategy on Global Development articulates an integrated, whole-of-government approach, building on more than 75 years of U.S. leadership and investment in global development as a strategic, economic, and moral imperative. The United States remains committed to accelerating development progress around the world and to fully implementing the ambitious, 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), adopted by 194 nations in 2015. More than halfway to 2030, we are collectively only on track to achieve 15 percent of the SDGs targets.
The United States has redoubled its efforts to protect hard-won development gains and to help developing country partners meet urgent needs, by leveraging the full suite of tools, resources, and expertise across 21 U.S. Government Departments and Agencies. In the first three years of the Biden-Harris Administration, we invested [more than $150 billion and mobilized billions more in private sector investment] to drive progress on the SDGs.
Today, U.S. global development investments are better targeted to achieve sustainable development outcomes and to maximize critical partnerships with other donors, the private sector, international financial institutions, multilateral organizations, and nongovernmental partners. The Strategy sets out five strategic objectives:
- Reduce Poverty through Inclusive and Sustainable Economic Growth and Quality Infrastructure Development. For the first time in decades, we saw an increase in extreme poverty and inequality during the pandemic. We recognize that many countries and communities around the world continue to struggle economically following the COVID-19 crisis. The United States is committed to promoting inclusive and sustainable economic growth – growth that improves the lives of all members of society, including those in vulnerable situations. In the first three years of the Biden-Harris Administration, we have invested over $58.5 billion to reduce poverty and advance shared prosperity. We have also accelerated investment in high-quality infrastructure as key driver of sustainable and inclusive economic growth and development. Over the last three years through the Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment, we have mobilized nearly $60 billion in public and private sector funding for infrastructure investments to advance climate resilience, energy security, secure digital connectivity, health and health security, agriculture and food security, and water and sanitation.
We have also led a global effort to reform the multilateral development banks to equip these institutions to better address today’s complex development challenges like climate change, pandemics, and fragility and conflict. Addressing these challenges is integral to achieving their core mandates to end extreme poverty and promote sustainable, inclusive, and resilient development. Recognizing that too many countries around the world are forced to make tough choices between making debt payments or investing in their own development progress and addressing global challenges, the Biden-Harris Administration launched the Nairobi-Washington Vision, calling on the international community to step up support for developing countries committed to ambitious reforms and investments that are held back by high debt burdens.
- Invest in Health, Food Security, and Human Capital. The United States is committed to sustaining critical investments in the fundamentals of all thriving societies: health, food security, and human capital. The United States continues to build resilient, responsive, and sustainably financed health systems, accelerate efforts towards universal health coverage, and promote primary health care and health equity. As infectious disease outbreaks and epidemics are increasing in both severity and frequency, U.S. leadership on global health security saves lives and strengthens health systems abroad, while keeping Americans safer at home. The United States has led an international effort to vaccinate the world against COVID‑19 – donating more than 692 million doses to 117 countries – while simultaneously investing in strengthening countries’ capabilities to prevent, detect, and respond to future global health threats. The Biden-Harris Administration has sustained the United States’ longstanding leadership and investments in the fight to end HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria as public health threats by 2030, including through robust commitments to the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), which has saved more than 25 million lives to date, and a commitment to five-year authorization. The Biden-Harris Administration remains committed to securing a clean, five-year reauthorization for PEPFAR that is fully funded. President Biden also led the historic replenishment of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria in 2022, which raised $15.7 billion. In June, we announced a new five-year commitment to GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance, totaling at least $1.58 billion, to help reach the goal of vaccinating more than 500 million more children and save more than 8 million lives by 2030.
Meanwhile, hunger and malnutrition are affecting the world’s most marginalized communities. After decades of progress, a series of unprecedented shocks and stresses –exacerbated by the climate crisis – have reversed many development gains. An estimated 152 million more people are hungry today than in 2019. The United States continues to lead global efforts to address food insecurity, having invested over $20 billion, including through Feed the Future, to boost food production, provide critical aid to reduce malnutrition, build more resilient food systems, and strengthen countries’ capacity to better withstand shocks. The Biden-Harris Administration also remains committed to supporting human capital development, including and especially children and youth, by expanding access to quality, inclusive, safe, and equitable education. In the first three years of the Administration, we have invested over $4.2 billion to support efforts to expand education access.
- Decarbonize the Economy and Increase Climate Resilience. The climate crisis has reached existential proportions, shattering records for catastrophic droughts and extreme weather events, decimating livelihoods, and undermining health, food, and water security. This is the decisive decade for tackling the climate crisis, and the Biden-Harris Administration is advancing bold efforts at the nexus of decarbonization, energy security, and energy access. In the first three years of the Administration, the United States has invested over $1.9 billion to expand energy access and over $4.5 billion to combat climate change. We have taken steps to doing our part to limit warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius by putting in place ambitious policies to achieve at least a 50 percent decrease in emissions domestically by 2030.
Through the President’s Emergency Plan for Adaptation and Resilience, we are helping strengthen the climate resilience of countries and communities, supporting more than half a billion people reduce risks and adapt to climate change-related impacts by 2030. We have bolstered efforts to increase inclusive, transparent, and accountable access to climate finance for developing partner countries, in pursuit of the President’s commitment to work with Congress to increase U.S.-provided international climate finance to $11 billion annually. Building on the Inflation Reduction Act, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, and the CHIPS and Science Act, the United States is helping developing country partners reduce greenhouse gas emissions and increase clean energy access, through data-driven clean and just energy transitions, green transportation, climate-smart agriculture, and efforts to halt deforestation to preserve carbon critical landscapes.
- Promote Democracy, Human Rights, and Governance, and Address Fragility and Conflict. Democracy and human rights are under threat worldwide. Over the last decade, there has been a resurgence of authoritarianism and democratic backsliding. Conflict is on the rise across the globe and threatens to undermine future progress on all SDGs. In response, the United States has invested $27.2 billion in the first three years of the Biden-Harris Administration to promote peaceful and inclusive societies, access to justice, and building effective and accountable institutions. Through the Presidential Initiative for Democratic Renewal and the U.S. Strategy on Countering Corruption, the United States has made historic commitments to promote accountability, advance digital democracy, support free and independent media, fight corruption, bolster human rights and democratic reformers, and defend free and fair elections. Given that this decade will likely experience levels of conflict not seen since the 1980s, we are also taking steps to promote stability, prevent and respond to conflict and violence, and address the drivers of fragility, including through the U.S. Strategy to Prevent Conflict and Promote Stability, the U.S. Women, Peace and Security Strategy, and the U.S. Strategy to Prevent, Anticipate and Respond to Atrocities.
- Respond to Humanitarian Needs. At a moment of unprecedented global need, the United States continues to be the world’s leading single-country humanitarian donor. Under the Biden-Harris Administration, we have provided over $49 billion to programs delivering principled, live-saving humanitarian assistance to people in need around the world. This critical funding has saved lives, alleviated human suffering, and reduced the impact of disasters by supporting people and communities in the most vulnerable situations to become more resilient to shocks and stressors. On average, the United States responds to 75 crises in 70 countries each year, reaching tens of millions of people around the world with life-saving humanitarian assistance, including food, water, shelter, health care, and other critical aid. In an era of ever-increasing needs, we are also taking steps to unlock new and innovative financing to support more sustainable solutions, reducing the need for humanitarian assistance over time, while promoting cost-effective systemic reforms.
In the face of global challenges, we are committed to reclaiming lost development gains and accelerating collective progress toward the SDGs. A more secure and prosperous world is only possible when we stand together to tackle complex global challenges and advance dignity and freedom for all.
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