• News
    • Latest news
    • News search
    • Health
    • Finance
    • Food
    • Career news
    • Content series
    • Try Devex Pro
  • Jobs
    • Job search
    • Post a job
    • Employer search
    • CV Writing
    • Upcoming career events
    • Try Career Account
  • Funding
    • Funding search
    • Funding news
  • Talent
    • Candidate search
    • Devex Talent Solutions
  • Events
    • Upcoming and past events
    • Partner on an event
  • Post a job
  • About
      • About us
      • Membership
      • Newsletters
      • Advertising partnerships
      • Devex Talent Solutions
      • Contact us
Join DevexSign in
Join DevexSign in

News

  • Latest news
  • News search
  • Health
  • Finance
  • Food
  • Career news
  • Content series
  • Try Devex Pro

Jobs

  • Job search
  • Post a job
  • Employer search
  • CV Writing
  • Upcoming career events
  • Try Career Account

Funding

  • Funding search
  • Funding news

Talent

  • Candidate search
  • Devex Talent Solutions

Events

  • Upcoming and past events
  • Partner on an event
Post a job

About

  • About us
  • Membership
  • Newsletters
  • Advertising partnerships
  • Devex Talent Solutions
  • Contact us
  • My Devex
  • Update my profile % complete
  • Account & privacy settings
  • My saved jobs
  • Manage newsletters
  • Support
  • Sign out
Latest newsNews searchHealthFinanceFoodCareer newsContent seriesTry Devex Pro
    • News

    US to Refocus Pakistani Aid Program, Official Says

    By Ivy Mungcal // 03 June 2011
    U.S. officials Afghan National Assembly represenatives to break ground on the Parliamentary Research Center in Afghanistan. The United States is recalibrating its aid program in Pakistan by focusing on fewer projects though not likely to slash its spending in the Asian country. Photo by: U.S. Agency for International Development

    The United States is recalibrating its aid program in Pakistan by focusing on fewer projects, but the country is not likely to slash its spending in the Asian country, according to a U.S. official.

    “A slash of assistance is not on the cards, unless there is another big surprise [like Bin Laden’s whereabouts],”  the Financial Times quotes the U.S. official, which the newspaper did not name.

    But the United States will reduce the size of its aid program from 160 projects to just 50, the official said. The 50 projects will be in the high-impact sectors like education, energy, open democracy and job creation. They also include activities in the Federally Administered Trial Areas, among other key provinces.

    This recalibration of the aid program coincides with the expansion of the role of Marc Grossman, the U.S. envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan, and with concerns raised by some U.S. lawmakers about the scale of the country’s aid program in Pakistan amid doubts over the Asian nation’s commitment as an ally in the U.S.’s drive against terrorism.

    Some members of the U.S. Congress have been calling for a suspension or reduction of U.S. aid to Pakistan following the discovery and death of al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden in his hideout near a military facility in the Pakistani town of Abbottabad.

    >> US Congress Weighs Cutting Aid to Pakistan

    Meantime, a senior U.S. Agency for International Development official has outlined in an entry on the State Department’s “DipNote” blog the projects and initiatives the United States is supporting and planning to support in Pakistan.

    “USAID’s approach to Pakistan focuses on the need to promote sustainable economic growth by addressing the country’s energy crisis and raising incomes in the agricultural sector, the mainstay of Pakistan’s economy,” J. Alexander Thier, director of USAID’s Afghanistan and Pakistan affairs office, says. “We are also working to improve the government’s capacity to deliver public goods and services – such as health and education – and expand the writ of the government in insecure areas.”

    Thier, who is also an assistant to the USAID administrator, stresses that the United States is committed to addressing long-term and short-term development challenges in Pakistan through a focus on energy, health, education, stabilization and economic growth. He added that the U.S. aid program in Pakistan had already begun yielding sustainable results.

    A U.S.-based think tank has recently suggested a major revamp of the U.S. development strategy in Pakistan, saying it is too focused on security and neglects job creation, economic growth and long-term democracy building.

    >> CGD: US Needs Revamped Development Approach in Pakistan

    Read more about U.S. development aid.

    • Trade & Policy
    • Funding
    • Humanitarian Aid
    Printing articles to share with others is a breach of our terms and conditions and copyright policy. Please use the sharing options on the left side of the article. Devex Pro members may share up to 10 articles per month using the Pro share tool ( ).

    About the author

    • Ivy Mungcal

      Ivy Mungcal

      As former senior staff writer, Ivy Mungcal contributed to several Devex publications. Her focus is on breaking news, and in particular on global aid reform and trends in the United States, Europe, the Caribbean, and the Americas. Before joining Devex in 2009, Ivy produced specialized content for U.S. and U.K.-based business websites.

    Search for articles

    Related Stories

    The Trump EffectTrump’s $9.4B rescission package targets ‘woke’ and ‘wasteful’ aid

    Trump’s $9.4B rescission package targets ‘woke’ and ‘wasteful’ aid

    Devex Money MattersMoney Matters: Even before Trump, aid dollars were falling

    Money Matters: Even before Trump, aid dollars were falling

    Devex DishDevex Dish: Shock and fear for food programs amid US aid freeze

    Devex Dish: Shock and fear for food programs amid US aid freeze

    Devex Pro InsiderDevex Pro Insider: Gates makes cuts; USAID finds reasons for cuts it already made

    Devex Pro Insider: Gates makes cuts; USAID finds reasons for cuts it already made

    Most Read

    • 1
      How low-emissions livestock are transforming dairy farming in Africa
    • 2
      Opinion: Mobile credit, savings, and insurance can drive financial health
    • 3
      Opinion: India’s bold leadership in turning the tide for TB
    • 4
      USAID's humanitarian bureau is under pressure and overstretched
    • 5
      The UN's changing of the guard
    • News
    • Jobs
    • Funding
    • Talent
    • Events

    Devex is the media platform for the global development community.

    A social enterprise, we connect and inform over 1.3 million development, health, humanitarian, and sustainability professionals through news, business intelligence, and funding & career opportunities so you can do more good for more people. We invite you to join us.

    • About us
    • Membership
    • Newsletters
    • Advertising partnerships
    • Devex Talent Solutions
    • Post a job
    • Careers at Devex
    • Contact us
    © Copyright 2000 - 2025 Devex|User Agreement|Privacy Statement