The Global Development Alliance
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The Global Development Alliance (or GDA) is an Office in the United States Agency for International Development. It was created in May 2001 as a new way to effectively provide aid to underdeveloped countries. The GDA business model combines the energy and resources of corporations, foundations, the faith-based community, indigenous organizations, and other nontraditional partners with the technical expertise and experience of the US Government. These public-private alliances are a response to the reality of an ever-growing private sector that has the potential to have a large impact in the underdeveloped world. GDA mobilizes the ideas, efforts and resources of governments, businesses and civil society by forging public-private alliances to stimulate economic growth, develop businesses and workforces, address health and environmental issues, and expand access to education and technology.
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[edit] History
The Global Development Alliance was created in 2001, after career Foreign Service Officers identified the potential of - and need for - public-private alliances in international development. In his remarks before Congress on May 10 2001, Secretary of State Colin L. Powell introduced GDA as "a fundamental reorientation in how USAID sees itself in the context of international development assistance, in how it relates to its traditional partners and in how it seeks out and develops alliances with new partners." From there, the GDA assistance model has helped in the creation of many productive and effective partnerships between government and the private sector. USAID is working with corporations both global and local to increase the effectiveness of assistance by leveraging more than $9 billion for development in public and private resources to the nearly 700 public-private alliances. Over 1,700 distinct partners have been engaged in building GDAs.
[edit] Current Alliances
The Global Development Alliance has grown quickly since its creation, and is now involved in hundreds of partnerships supporting economic growth, health, education, democracy and governance, environment, and conflict resolution all around the globe. GDA works with everyone from large multinational corporations to small indigenous organizations. All of these partners share the same goal of improving the lives of people in underdeveloped countries.
[edit] Awards
In 2005 the Global Development Alliance was awarded the very first Lewis and Clark Award for Innovation in Collaborative Governance. The Weil Program on Collaborative Governance and the Ash Institute for Democratic Governance and Innovation at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government established this award to recognize and reward efforts in collaborative governance.
