Direct Relief International Hosts Groups to Discuss the Current and Future Status of Foreign Assistance Against the Backdrop of the War on Terrorism

Direct Relief International
Monday, 25 March 2002

On Monday, March 25, Direct Relief International will host the West Coast Meeting of InterAction, a coalition of more than 160 U.S. nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) involved in international humanitarian and development work. The meeting will be held at the Fess Parker Doubletree Resort from 10 AM-4 PM.

"We're delighted to host our colleague nongovernmental organizations at this historic and critical moment in history," said Thomas Tighe, Direct Relief President and CEO. "This is an important time to discuss how America and Americans can engage more productively with the rest of the world, particularly in light of our world since September 11. InterAction is a key vehicle for U.S. NGOs to inform each other, policymakers, and the public about the importance and specifics of their work."

InterAction President Mary McClymont, Vice President Ken Guinta, and other senior officials from the Washington D.C.-based InterAction will attend the meeting, along with the heads of more than 20 U.S.-based NGOs.

Last month, InterAction launched a campaign to double official U.S. international foreign assistance efforts over a five-year period. In the last decade, U.S. foreign assistance spending on key development and humanitarian issues has shrunk by nearly half, on an adjusted basis, and currently comprises only 0.1 percent of GDP, the lowest among industrialized nations.

McClymont will brief InterAction members on the effects of this campaign, including the recent announcement by the Bush Administration to devote $5 billion in new foreign aid spending over the next three years.

Also speaking will be Patrick Fn'Piere, Senior Vice President of the Pacific Council, the Los Angeles-based foreign policy forum that is the western States' partner of the Council on Foreign Relations. Fn'Piere will discuss trends in international assistance programs and West Coast perspectives on international affairs.

For more information, or to contact Direct Relief International, see their website at: www.directrelief.org