IRD's damage control

The U.S. aid community may find itself in hot water again after a media report over the weekend questioned the oversight of programs implemented by a leading government partner in Afghanistan and elsewhere.

In a feature published on Sunday, the Washington Post takes aim at International Relief and Development, describing its rise from a “mom-and-pop nonprofit corporation” in the late 1990s to a key partner of the U.S. Agency for International Development in fragile states and other difficult environments. It hones in on two controversial IRD programs that have already seen their fair share of criticism for being overly ambitious and a drain on taxpayer dollars — the Community Stabilization Program in Iraq and Vouchers for Increased Productive Agriculture in Afghanistan

Although the Post breaks little news on these programs, its coverage may add pressure on USAID to beef up oversight especially of its multimillion-dollar assistance to Afghanistan, which has endured a constant barrage of criticism lately from Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction John Sopko. The criticism comes at a time when the United States is reviewing its cooperation strategy as combat troops withdraw from Afghanistan.