| Abstrakt: |
The Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) provides economic assistance through a competitive selection process to developing nations that demonstrate positive performance in three areas: ruling justly, investing in people, and fostering economic freedom. Established in 2004, the MCC differs in several respects from past and current U.S. aid practices: • the competitive process that rewards countries for past actions measured by objective performance indicators; • its mandate to seek poverty reduction through economic growth, not encumbered with multiple sector objectives; • the requirement to solicit program proposals developed solely by qualifying countries with broad-based civil society involvement; • the responsibility of recipient countries to implement their own MCC-funded programs, known as compacts; • a compact duration limited to five years, with funding committed up front; • the expectation that compact projects will have measurable impact; and • an emphasis on public transparency in every aspect of agency operations. On February 9, 2016, the Administration proposed its FY2017 budget, including $1 billion for the MCC, 11% higher than the FY2016 level. On December 10, 2016, the FY2017 Further Continuing Appropriations (P.L. 114-254) was signed into law. It amends an earlier continuing appropriations act (P.L. 114-223) to provide $898 million for the MCC in FY2017 and expires on April 28, 2017. Congress authorized the MCC in P.L. 108-199 (January 23, 2004). Since that time, the MCC has signed 33 grant agreements, known as compacts, with 27 countries, including with Madagascar (calendar year 2005), Honduras (2005), Cape Verde (2005), Nicaragua (2005), Georgia (2005), Benin (2006), Vanuatu (2006), Armenia (2006), Ghana (2006), Mali (2006), El Salvador (2006), Mozambique (2007), Lesotho (2007), Morocco (2007), Mongolia (2007), Tanzania (2008), Burkina Faso (2008), Namibia (2008), Senegal (2009), Moldova (2010), Philippines (2010), Jordan (2010), Malawi (2011), Indonesia (2011), Cape Verde II (2012), Zambia (2012), Georgia II (2013), El Salvador II (2014), Ghana II (2014), Benin II (2015), Liberia (2015), Morocco II (2015), and Niger (2016). MCC issues include the level of funding to support MCC programs, the results of MCC compacts, sustainability, and corruption concerns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
