Indiana Faith Leaders call on Candidates to Reform Aid

On Friday several Indianapolis faith leaders sent a letter to Senators Clinton, McCain and Obama calling on them to make a major reform the US foreign assistance system. In collaboration with the Global AIDS Alliance, the faith leaders called on the next administration to establish a “Department for Global Development”—a department on par with US Departments of State and Defense that would provide the oversight and coordination for needed for effective foreign assistance. A department level commitment for development is needed for a fight against global poverty that would not only provide effective aid to poor people worldwide, but ultimately increase security and standing for the US and its citizens. The group of Indianapolis faith leaders sent the letter on the heels of Oxfam’s foreign aid reform testimony before Congress, and just ahead of Tuesday’s Indiana Presidential primary.

Oxfam is advocating for reform of the US foreign assistance system so that aid funded with US taxpayer money is as effective as possible in reducing poverty across the world. In its recent report, Smart Development, Oxfam recommended that a department for development be established, and made other policy recommendations including calls for a new Foreign Assistance Act and a comprehensive, coordinated national strategy for the implementation of US foreign assistance.