Suspended IRD responds to allegations that it mismanaged US funding

The nonprofit International Relief and Development — once the U.S. Agency for International Development’s largest contractor in Iraq and Afghanistan — responded today to USAID’s suspension of its projects over allegations that IRD misused U.S. taxpayer funds and engaged in “serious misconduct.”

The last month has seen an overhaul at IRD — 21 employees were laid off last week and the entire board of directors was dismissed — following the resignation of several top executives, including founder and former President Arthur Keys. While many question whether the organization will be able to survive the fallout, those left standing continue to look forward and plan for the future.

“This is a pretty unprecedented situation,” an IRD representative told Devex, “and an extraordinary opportunity going forward to build a 21st century [nongovernmental organization] that is really going to be setting some new standards in the development landscape.”