Development must stop apologizing, says former USAID administrator

“I think we’re in trouble.” That’s what Gayle Smith, the former administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development, told a crowded theater at this year’s Devex World — an event that gathered nearly 500 development experts, humanitarians, and others in Washington, D.C., last week. On one hand, that’s because the number of conflicts, crises, and disasters have exploded in recent years, Smith said. But on the other, it’s because the global development community hasn’t presented itself as the force it really is. “What is the single most potent instrument to prevent the kind of chaos we’re seeing? It’s development investment.” Smith said. “We need to be making that argument.” Smith pointed to InterAction, an alliance of international aid agencies based in the United States. Just those beneath the InterAction umbrella alone touch millions of people every year — and according to the organization, manage more than $18 billion in program expenses worldwide. That reach cannot be understated, Smith said. But time and again, it continues to be. “We underplay the power that we have,” she added. “We’re so excited to be in the room that I think we risk apologizing for being at the table.” Smith has served in the Clinton, Obama, and Biden administrations. Repeatedly, she saw how development was often seen as an afterthought, rather than a tool to catalyze safety, security, and progress throughout the world. That framing has an impact, she explained: less attention on development’s value means less buy-in for it, and less buy-in for development means less money to drive change. Aid shouldn’t be seen as a “side project for do-gooders,” Smith said. It should be seen for its strategic value, and its ability to make every country safer. “This community is really good at storytelling, but we gotta tell other chapters in our stories,” she added. “Foreign aid isn't something that gets people excited. Outcomes get people excited. And our message needs to be more than just ‘we need this many dollars’ — which is going to blow up politicians heads — but the outcome.” “We need to stop asking to be in the room and act like we're supposed to be in the room,” she added.