Development icon Paul Farmer, a rumored front-runner to lead USAID, has been appointed U.N. deputy special envoy to Haiti. He will be serving under former U.S. President Bill Clinton, who recently praised Farmer's work in Haiti on behalf of Partners in Health, a group Farmer co-founded in 1987.
Partners in Health has been credited with pioneering a holistic, community based approach to health and development.
Media reports began to surface Aug. 4 that Farmer, considered a leading contender for the top USAID job, was out of the running. Given his new appointment, announced Aug. 11, it appears unlikely Farmer will lead the U.S. Agency for International Development. In that role, he would have worked closely with Clinton's wife, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton.
When reached for comment, a USAID press officer said the agency could not comment on executive appointments. The White House and Partners in Health had not replied at the time of publishing.
Farmer first gained recognition with a small community health clinic in rural Haiti. His organization Zanmi Lasante ("Partners in Health" in Haitian Creole) has now grown into one of the largest non-governmental health care providers in the country.
Partners in Health also operates in Lesotho, Malawi, Peru, Russia, Rwanda, Mexico, Guatemala and the United States.
In his new role, Farmer will assist in promoting the economic and social development of the impoverished Caribbean nation.
"His credibility both among the people of Haiti and in the international community will be a tremendous asset to our efforts as we work with the government and people of Haiti to improve health care, strengthen education and create economic opportunity," Clinton, the U.N. special envoy to Haiti, said in an U.N. news release published Aug. 11.