USAID Admin Says Inclusive Development Is Fundamental

WASHINGTON — The United States Agency for International Development is a leading force for promoting global development and humanitarian assistance. In many parts of the world, however, providing services is challenging when inclusive development may run contrary to a nation’s belief systems and laws.

In recognition of Pride Month, USAID Administrator Samantha Power spoke with the Atlantic Council about how international instruments and frameworks can support human rights to empower citizens within their respective countries to advocate for change.

“There’s not some place of neutrality here,” Power said. “We are the United States. We have stood for human rights … which doesn’t have exceptions or footnotes or caveats.

“Imagine a world in which U.S. taxpayer resources are expended in a manner that perpetuates or deepens exclusion of individuals who are really vulnerable,” she said. “That would be bad.”

Instead, she emphasized that inclusive development is a fundamental part of American foreign policy — not an afterthought, but rather a design feature — extending support to marginalized groups like the LGBTQI+ community just as they would for religious minorities.

USAID is one of 15 agencies, Power said, that has reaffirmed its commitment to inclusive development, particularly in the realm of LGBTQI+ rights, with Power highlighting the agency’s response to President Biden’s directive to champion the human rights of LGBTQI+ individuals worldwide.

“The kinds of crises that have befallen the planet have a disparate impact on marginalized communities,” Power said. “All the programming that we do needs to be attentive and intentional about going out of our way to make sure that we are not just practicing development but inclusive development.”

She explained that LGBTQI+ people face criminalization in nearly 70 countries. In Uganda, for example, where Biden has explicitly called for the repeal of its Anti-Homosexuality Act passed in 2014, seeking social services can often result in the risk of losing loved ones, facing legal repercussions or death due to prevailing discriminatory laws.

Operating in other countries requires understanding each complex ecosystem, drawing on the expertise of local USAID staff, and taking cues from marginalized communities themselves, she said. 

“We do come in with humility and really try to be in lockstep with the groups … and in the case of the Anti-Homosexuality Act that Uganda has come forward with … talking about the effects of this incredibly successful partnership that we’ve had with [Uganda to combat] HIV and AIDS,” she said.

The aim is to counteract discrimination, stigmatization and sometimes even law enforcement, while finding arguments that resonate with a broader audience and foster enthusiasm for inclusive programs and services.

“These principles are getting traction and the international instruments are really important,” she said, “because it gives citizens in a country … something to hang their arguments on.” 

And by standing up for human rights and fighting repression, Power suggested the United States not only promotes global equality but also serves its own interests. 

“It is in our interest to have maximum economic inclusion,” she said. “It is in our interest to fight repression against whomever it is being carried out, and it is in our foreign policy interest to stand up for our values.”

Power believes USAID’s commitment to LGBTQI+ inclusive development reflects a vital step towards global equality. By championing global inclusion, USAID aims to ensure that development outcomes have a meaningful impact while upholding the principles that define American values.

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