Foreign Assistance
Actions Needed to Better Assess the Impact of Agencies' Marking and Publicizing Efforts Gao ID: GAO-07-277 March 12, 2007The negative perceptions of the United States associated with U.S. foreign policy initiatives have underscored the importance of the United States presenting a complete portrayal of the benefits that many in the world derive from U.S. foreign assistance efforts. Congress has expressed concerns that the United States has frequently understated or not publicized information about its foreign assistance programs. As requested, this report (1) describes the policies, regulations, and guidelines that agencies have established to mark and publicize foreign assistance; (2) describes how State, USAID, and other agencies mark and publicize foreign assistance; and (3) identifies key challenges that agencies face in marking and publicizing foreign assistance.
Most of the agencies we reviewed involved in foreign assistance activities have established some marking and publicity requirements in policies, regulations, or guidelines. USAID has the most detailed policies and regulations relating to marking and publicity. USAID has also established a network of communications specialists at its missions to publicize its assistance efforts and has issued communications guidelines to promote that assistance. According to State officials, its policy is to allow its program managers and ambassadors to use their discretion when determining which programs and activities to mark or publicize. USDA, DOD, HHS, Treasury, and MCC have also established some policies for marking and publicizing assistance, though these policies vary in their level of formality and detail. To increase awareness of U.S. assistance abroad, key agencies that we reviewed used various methods to mark and publicize some of their activities and exercised flexibility in deciding when it was appropriate to do so. These agencies used different methods of marking, or visibly acknowledging, their assistance. In addition, agencies generally used embassy public affairs offices for publicizing, information about the source of their assistance and, in some cases, augmented these efforts with their own publicity methods. We identified some challenges to marking and publicizing U.S. foreign assistance, including the lack of (1) a strategy for assessing the impact of marking and publicity efforts on increasing the awareness of U.S. foreign assistance and (2) governmentwide guidance for marking and publicizing U.S. foreign assistance. First, although some agencies conduct surveys in recipient countries that primarily capture information on public opinion of the United States, little reliable work has been done to assess the impact of U.S. assistance on foreign citizens' awareness of the source of U.S. provided assistance. Second, while the newly appointed Director of Foreign Assistance has begun to address the issue of developing a governmentwide policy for marking and publicizing all U.S. foreign assistance, it is unclear to what extent this policy will be implemented by agencies whose foreign assistance programs are not under DFA's direct authority.
RecommendationsOur recommendations from this work are listed below with a Contact for more information. Status will change from "In process" to "Open," "Closed - implemented," or "Closed - not implemented" based on our follow up work.
Director: Team: Phone:GAO-07-277, Foreign Assistance: Actions Needed to Better Assess the Impact of Agencies' Marking and Publicizing Efforts
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Report to the Ranking Minority Member, Committee on Foreign Affairs,
House of Representatives:
United States Government Accountability Office:
GAO:
March 2007:
Foreign Assistance:
Actions Needed to Better Assess the Impact of Agencies' Marking and
Publicizing Efforts:
GAO-07-277:
GAO Highlights:
Highlights of GAO-07-277, a report to the Ranking Minority Member,
Committee on Foreign Affairs, House of Representatives
Why GAO Did This Study:
The negative perceptions of the United States associated with U.S.
foreign policy initiatives have underscored the importance of the
United States presenting a complete portrayal of the benefits that many
in the world derive from U.S. foreign assistance efforts. Congress has
expressed concerns that the United States has frequently understated or
not publicized information about its foreign assistance programs. As
requested, this report (1) describes the policies, regulations, and
guidelines that agencies have established to mark and publicize foreign
assistance; (2) describes how State, USAID, and other agencies mark and
publicize foreign assistance; and (3) identifies key challenges that
agencies face in marking and publicizing foreign assistance.
What GAO Found:
Most of the agencies we reviewed involved in foreign assistance
activities have established some marking and publicity requirements in
policies, regulations, or guidelines. USAID has the most detailed
policies and regulations relating to marking and publicity. USAID has
also established a network of communications specialists at its
missions to publicize its assistance efforts and has issued
communications guidelines to promote that assistance. According to
State officials, its policy is to allow its program managers and
ambassadors to use their discretion when determining which programs and
activities to mark or publicize. USDA, DOD, HHS, Treasury, and MCC have
also established some policies for marking and publicizing assistance,
though these policies vary in their level of formality and detail.
To increase awareness of U.S. assistance abroad, key agencies that we
reviewed used various methods to mark and publicize some of their
activities and exercised flexibility in deciding when it was
appropriate to do so. These agencies used different methods of marking,
or visibly acknowledging, their assistance. In addition, agencies
generally used embassy public affairs offices for publicizing,
information about the source of their assistance and, in some cases,
augmented these efforts with their own publicity methods.
We identified some challenges to marking and publicizing U.S. foreign
assistance, including the lack of (1) a strategy for assessing the
impact of marking and publicity efforts on increasing the awareness of
U.S. foreign assistance and (2) governmentwide guidance for marking and
publicizing U.S. foreign assistance. First, although some agencies
conduct surveys in recipient countries that primarily capture
information on public opinion of the United States, little reliable
work has been done to assess the impact of U.S. assistance on foreign
citizens‘ awareness of the source of U.S. provided assistance. Second,
while the newly appointed Director of Foreign Assistance has begun to
address the issue of developing a governmentwide policy for marking and
publicizing all U.S. foreign assistance, it is unclear to what extent
this policy will be implemented by agencies whose foreign assistance
programs are not under DFA‘s direct authority.
Figure: USAID Marking of Health Clinic in Indonesia:
[See PDF for Image]
Source: GAO.
[End of figure]
What GAO Recommends:
GAO recommends that the Secretary of State, in consultation with other
U.S. executive agencies, (1) develop a strategy, which appropriately
utilizes techniques such as surveys, to better assess the impact of
U.S. marking and publicity programs on public awareness, and (2)
establish interagency agreements to facilitate implementation of
governmentwide guidance for marking and publicizing U.S. foreign
assistance. State provided comments and concurred with the report‘s
recommendations.
[Hyperlink, http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-07-277].
To view the full product, including the scope and methodology, click on
the link above. For more information, contact Jess T. Ford at (202) 512-
4268 or fordj@gao.gov.
[End of section]
Contents:
Letter:
Results in Brief:
Background:
Most Agencies Have Marking and Publicizing Policies, Regulations, and
Guidelines:
Foreign Assistance Marking Efforts and Publicity Have Varied:
Challenges to Marking and Publicizing May Result in Missed
Opportunities to Increase Public Awareness of U.S. Foreign Assistance:
Conclusions:
Recommendations for Executive Action:
Agency Comments and Our Evaluation:
Appendix I: Scope and Methodology:
Appendix II: Key Marking and Publicity Practices Used in the Public
Sector:
Appendix III: Other Governments' Donor Organizations and the GTZ
Marking and Publicity Practices:
Appendix IV: Statutes, Policies, Regulations, and Guidance for Marking
or Publicizing Foreign Assistance:
Appendix V: Comments from the Department of State:
Appendix VI: GAO Contact and Staff Acknowledgments:
Table:
Table 1: Key Agencies That Provide and Manage the Majority of Foreign
Assistance:
Figures:
Figure 1: Changes of USAID's Brand:
Figure 2: USAID Sign with New USAID Brand at a Health Clinic in
Indonesia:
Figure 3: MEPI Logos:
Figure 4: State Marking at Peruvian Police Training Academy:
Figure 5: U.S. Embassy/Serbia-Developed Flag Logo Marks an
Environmental Project:
Figure 6: USDA Food Aid Marking:
Figure 7: DOD Marking of Humanitarian Daily Rations:
Figure 8: DOD Marking of School Constructed in South Africa:
Figure 9: HHS Marking of Talking Book in Afghanistan:
Figure 10: Logos of Other Governments' Donor Organizations and the GTZ:
Abbreviations:
AusAID: Australian Government's Overseas Aid Program:
CIDA: Canadian International Development Agency:
DFA: Director of Foreign Assistance:
DFID: Department for International Development:
DOD: Department of Defense:
EU: European Union:
FAA: Foreign Assistance Act:
GTZ: German Agency for Technical Cooperation:
HHS: Department of Health and Human Services:
ICEIDA: Icelandic International Development Agency:
JICA: Japan International Cooperation Agency:
MCC: Millennium Challenge Corporation:
MEPI: Middle East Partnership Initiative:
NGO; Nongovernmental Organization:
OTA: Office of Technical Assistance:
PEPFAR: President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief:
USAID: U.S. Agency for International Development:
USDA: U.S. Department of Agriculture:
United States Government Accountability Office:
Washington, DC 20548:
March 12, 2007:
The Honorable Ileana Ros-Lehtinen:
Ranking Minority Member:
Committee on Foreign Affairs:
House of Representatives:
Dear Mrs. Ros-Lehtinen:
The negative perceptions of the United States, associated with U.S.
foreign policy initiatives, have underscored the importance of the
United States presenting a complete portrayal of the benefits that many
countries in the world derive from U.S. foreign assistance efforts. A
recent worldwide survey by the Pew Research Center[Footnote 1] and our
reports have noted that negative perceptions of the United States
increased[Footnote 2] in recent years in response to U.S. foreign
policy initiatives, particularly in the Middle East.
The United States is one of the largest donors of foreign assistance to
countries around the world; however, many of the recipients of this aid
are unaware that it is provided by the United States. In fiscal year
2005, the United States provided about $20 billion in humanitarian and
development assistance throughout the world to, among other things,
relieve suffering, educate children, feed the hungry, promote economic
opportunity, and support democracy and human rights. Congress has
expressed concerns that the United States has frequently understated or
not publicized information about its foreign assistance programs and,
as a result, the generosity of the people of the United States has not
been fully understood abroad.
According to the United States Agency for International Development
(USAID), marking of foreign assistance refers to using methods such as
applying graphic identities or logos to program materials or project
signage to visibly acknowledge contributors and identify organizations
supporting the work. Publicity of assistance is the dissemination of
information about assistance to generate interest and create positive
perceptions in citizens of foreign countries. Marking and publicity are
complementary communication tools, but with different goals. Marking
can raise the awareness about the source of assistance with individuals
who come in contact with the assistance sites or materials, whereas
publicity can potentially communicate more detailed information about
assistance to broader audiences.
As requested, this report focuses on the efforts of key U.S.
agencies[Footnote 3] to mark or publicize U.S. foreign assistance. It
(1) describes the policies, regulations, and guidelines that agencies
have established to mark and publicize foreign assistance; (2)
describes how the Department of State (State), USAID, and other
agencies mark and publicize foreign assistance; and (3) identifies key
challenges that agencies face in marking and publicizing foreign
assistance. In addition, as requested, we describe selected public
sector and foreign government organizations' marking and publicity
practices.
To meet these objectives, we reviewed legislation forming the statutory
basis for marking and publicizing assistance, and obtained and analyzed
related agency documents. We also met with representatives from USAID,
the Departments of State, Agriculture (USDA), Defense (DOD), Health and
Human Services (HHS), Justice, the Treasury, and Millennium Challenge
Corporation (MCC). In addition, we met with representatives of
nongovernmental organizations, host governments, international
assistance organizations, and with executives working in the
advertising industry. We conducted fieldwork in Washington, D.C; New
York City; Indonesia; Liberia; Montenegro;[Footnote 4] Peru; Serbia;
and South Africa. In this review, we excluded the following foreign
assistance: contributions to multilateral organizations, military
assistance that is related to acquisition of U.S. military equipment
and training, programs related to peacekeeping operations,
antiterrorism programs, and programs related to weapons proliferation.
We also excluded foreign assistance programs that provide economic
support payments to Middle East countries.
We conducted our work from December 2005 through January 2007 in
accordance with generally accepted government auditing standards.
Appendix I contains a more detailed description on our scope and
methodology. Appendixes II and III contain information on public sector
and other donor key marking and publicizing practices.
Results in Brief:
Most agencies we reviewed that are involved in foreign assistance
activities have established some marking and publicity requirements in
policies, regulations, or guidelines. USAID, which has the most
detailed policies and regulations, requires that the agency and its
implementers ensure that all programs, projects, activities, public
communications, and commodities be marked, except where waivers or
presumptive exceptions are granted. USAID also has established a
network of communications specialists at USAID missions worldwide to
publicize the agency's assistance efforts and has issued communications
guidelines to promote that assistance. State has not established
agencywide assistance marking or publicity requirements; but, according
to State officials, the department's policy is to allow its program
managers and ambassadors to use their discretion when determining which
programs and activities should be marked or publicized. USDA, DOD, HHS,
Treasury, and MCC also have established some policies for marking and
publicizing foreign assistance, though these policies vary in their
level of formality and detail.
To increase awareness of U.S. assistance abroad, key agencies that we
reviewed used various methods to mark and to publicize some of their
activities and exercised flexibility in deciding when it was
appropriate to do so. These agencies used different methods of marking,
or visibly acknowledging, their assistance, including applying graphic
identities or logos on such things as publications and project signage.
In addition, agencies generally used embassy public affairs offices for
publicizing or disseminating information about the source of their
assistance and, in some cases, augmented these efforts with their own
publicity methods. USAID has developed the most extensive and
formalized requirements for marking its assistance, and its identifying
mark communicates that the agency is a U.S. entity and identifies the
American people as the source of the foreign assistance. Other
agencies' marking efforts are not as extensive or as formalized as
those of USAID. For example, State's Middle East Partnership Initiative
(MEPI) developed two versions of a logo; however, State did not specify
which logo implementing organizations should use--which, at times,
created confusion with project implementers regarding the appropriate
use of the MEPI logo. Further, in the countries we visited, we saw
various marks used by agencies to identify U.S. foreign assistance--
such as the use of the U.S. flag in combination with host country flags
as well as program logos. Only USAID and Treasury's Office of Technical
Assistance (OTA) have established a process for determining when
marking requirements can be modified or suspended to allow for
differences in the nature of foreign assistance projects and special
circumstances that could include safety and security concerns. Embassy
public affairs offices are responsible for publicizing activities of
all U.S. agencies, through press releases, Web sites, speeches by U.S.
officials, and other means. These efforts are augmented by other
agencies efforts, such as USAID--which has established a global network
of communications specialists to publicize its programs, while DOD
public affairs staff publicize information about some DOD activities,
such as tsunami relief assistance.
We identified some challenges to marking and publicizing U.S. foreign
assistance, including the lack of (1) a strategy for assessing the
impact of marking and publicity efforts on increasing the awareness of
U.S. foreign assistance and (2) governmentwide guidance for marking and
publicizing U.S. foreign assistance. First, although some agencies
conduct surveys in recipient countries that primarily capture
information on public opinion of the United States, little reliable
work has been done to assess the impact of U.S. assistance on foreign
citizens' awareness concerning the source of the assistance. For
example, although State's Bureau of Intelligence and Research conducts
approximately 120 surveys per year in about 80 countries, according to
a State official, these surveys focus on tracking trends in the foreign
public's perception of the United States to serve U.S. public diplomacy
efforts and do not assess public awareness of U.S. foreign assistance
activities or the effectiveness of those activities. Second, we found
that USAID missions, federal agencies, and presidential initiatives
providing assistance overseas have not received clear and consistent
direction on marking and publicizing U.S. foreign assistance. For
example, of the five countries we visited, the embassy strategic
planning document of three countries--the Mission Performance Plan--did
not identify increasing awareness of U.S. assistance as part of the
country strategy, nor did any of the embassies receive specific
guidance on this issue. While the newly appointed Director of Foreign
Assistance (DFA) has begun to address the issue of developing a
governmentwide policy for marking and publicizing all U.S. foreign
assistance, it is unclear to what extent this policy will be
implemented by agencies whose foreign assistance programs are not under
DFA's direct authority.
We are making two recommendations to the Secretary of State to enhance
efforts to mark and publicize U.S. assistance. Specifically, we
recommend that the Secretary of State work in conjunction with other
executive agencies to (1) develop a strategy, which appropriately
utilizes techniques such as surveys and focus groups, to better assess
the impact of U.S. marking and publicity programs and activities on
public awareness and (2) establish interagency agreements to facilitate
implementation of State's planned governmentwide guidance for marking
and publicizing U.S. foreign assistance.
We received written comments on a draft of this report from State (see
app. V) indicating that it concurred with our recommendations. We also
received technical comments on this draft from USAID, State, DOD, and
MCC, which we incorporated where appropriate.
Background:
For the purposes of this report, foreign assistance is any tangible or
intangible item provided by the U.S. government to a foreign country or
international organization, including but not limited to any training,
service, or technical advice; any item of real, personal, or mixed
property; any agricultural commodity, U.S. dollars, and any currencies
of any foreign country that are owned by the U.S. government. Foreign
assistance has grown in complexity in recent years as the United
States, through the efforts of a wide spectrum of U.S. agencies, has
used foreign aid to address transforming events such as the end of the
Cold War; the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001; and the HIV/AIDS
pandemic. This report focuses on bilateral foreign assistance[Footnote
5] that includes development foreign assistance programs to promote
sustainable economic progress and stability; economic foreign
assistance in support of U.S. political and security goals; and
humanitarian foreign assistance, which primarily addresses immediate
humanitarian emergencies.
Table 1: Key Agencies That Provide and Manage the Majority of Foreign
Assistance:
Agency: USAID;
Description of foreign assistance related activities: Implements the
largest portion of bilateral development and, with State, economic
foreign assistance programs, including technical assistance and
capacity building, training and scholarships, food aid and disaster
relief, infrastructure construction, and small enterprise loans.
Agency: State;
Description of foreign assistance related activities: Administers
economic and humanitarian foreign assistance programs such as narcotics
control, international law enforcement, and refugee relief. State
implements some of its foreign assistance programs through other
agencies such as USAID, HHS, and Justice. Further, the U.S. ambassador,
as chief of mission, has authority over all U.S. government activities
in a foreign country.
Agency: Agriculture;
Description of foreign assistance related activities: USDA's Foreign
Agricultural Service provides U.S. agricultural commodities to assist
millions of people in needy countries through direct donations and
concessional programs.
Agency: DOD;
Description of foreign assistance related activities: Provides
deployments of U.S. military personnel to plan, oversee, and conduct
specific humanitarian projects and activities including assistance to
host nation civilian authorities in disaster preparedness, mitigation
and response, such as search and rescue and provision of humanitarian
daily rations. Also provides training in identification, removal
techniques, safety, and education in awareness and risk of explosive
remnants of war. Additional assistance includes the donation of
nonlethal excess DOD property and other relief supplies to nations in
need, transportation of privately donated relief materials, and
training and material assistance to host nations' HIV/ AIDS and Avian
Influenza prevention programs.
Agency: HHS;
Description of foreign assistance related activities: Several offices
conduct assistance programs and activities abroad supporting activities
such as the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and
promotes global health in many areas, including providing training to
health specialists in epidemiology, surveillance, U.S. regulatory
requirements, and management.
Agency: Justice;
Description of foreign assistance related activities: Implements
training and technical assistance programs, funded primarily by State,
that include law enforcement, prosecutorial development, international
narcotics control, and financial crimes.
Agency: Treasury;
Description of foreign assistance related activities: OTA provides
financial advice around the world, primarily through advisors who work
directly with foreign government officials to support their efforts to
improve their financial systems.
Agency: MCC;
Description of foreign assistance related activities: Provides foreign
assistance to developing nations with a demonstrated commitment to
political, economic, and social reforms.
Sources: The Departments of Agriculture, Defense, HHS, Justice, State,
and the Treasury; USAID and MCC.
[End of table]
Provisions in the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, as amended (FAA), and
Public Law 480 (P. L. 480), are the statutory basis for existing
regulations and policies for marking and publicizing most U.S. foreign
assistance. Specifically, Section 641 of the FAA provides that
"programs under this Act shall be identified appropriately overseas as
'American Aid.' " Section 202 of P.L. 480 requires that, to the extent
practicable, commodities provided under that act be clearly identified
with appropriate markings in the local language as being furnished by
"the people of the United States." In addition, section 403(f) of P.L.
480 requires that foreign countries and private entities receiving P.L.
480 commodities will widely publicize "to the extent practicable" in
the media that the commodities are provided "through the friendship of
the American people as food for peace." However, a major foreign
assistance agency, the Millennium Challenge Corporation, which is
authorized and funded under legislation other than the FAA or P.L. 480,
is not subject to explicit statutory marking or publicity requirements.
The 2004 Intelligence Reform Act, in establishing broad public
diplomacy responsibilities for the Department of State, assigned State
a coordination role regarding marking and publicizing U.S. foreign
assistance and called for closer cooperation between State and USAID in
these efforts. Appendix IV provides more detailed information on the
statutory provisions and agencies' policies, regulations, and
guidelines for marking and publicizing U.S. foreign assistance.
To better coordinate U.S. foreign assistance activities, the Secretary
of State appointed a DFA in January 2006, who is charged with directing
the transformation of the U.S. government approach to foreign
assistance. The DFA serves concurrently as USAID Administrator,
ensuring that foreign assistance is used as effectively as possible to
meet broad foreign policy objectives. The DFA:
* Has authority over all USAID and most State foreign assistance
funding and programs, with continued participation in program planning,
implementation, and oversight conducted by the various bureaus and
offices within State and USAID, as part of the integrated interagency
planning, coordination, and implementation mechanisms;
* Develops a coordinated U.S. government foreign assistance strategy,
including multiyear country specific assistance strategies and annual
country-specific assistance operational plans;
* Creates and directs consolidated policy, planning, budget, and
implementation mechanisms and staff functions required to provide
overarching leadership to foreign assistance; and:
* Provides guidance to foreign assistance delivered through other
agencies and entities of the U.S. government, including the MCC and the
Office of the U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator.
Most Agencies Have Marking and Publicizing Policies, Regulations, and
Guidelines:
Most of the agencies we reviewed involved in foreign assistance
activities have established some marking policies, regulations, and
guidelines. USAID has established the most detailed policies,
regulations, and guidelines for marking and publicizing its assistance.
State has also established marking and publicity policies for two
presidential initiatives, MEPI and PEPFAR. However, USDA, DOD, HHS,
Treasury, and MCC efforts in this area have been more limited. Since
Justice does not have independent authority to conduct foreign
assistance but implements politically sensitive programs for State and
USAID, it has not established departmentwide marking or publicity
policies, but allows its component agencies to determine when it is
appropriate to mark and publicize their activities. Appendix IV
provides the statutory provisions and agencies' policies, regulations,
and guidelines for marking or publicizing U.S. foreign assistance.
USAID Has Established Detailed Policies, Regulations, and Guidelines:
To ensure that U.S. taxpayers receive full credit for the foreign
assistance they provide, USAID in 2004 undertook a campaign to clearly
communicate that USAID foreign assistance is from the American people.
This campaign included publication of a Graphic Standards Manual
containing new marking guidelines and the development of a new Graphic
Identity.[Footnote 6] In January 2006, USAID revised its foreign
assistance awards regulations to include new marking requirements for
USAID staff and all nongovernmental organizations (NGO) receiving
funding under grants and cooperative agreements.[Footnote 7] The
regulations require that all programs, projects, activities, public
communications, and commodities partially or fully funded by a USAID
grant or cooperative agreement be marked appropriately overseas with
the Graphic Standards Manual's Graphic Identity of a size and
prominence equal to or greater than the recipient's or other donors'
logos or identities. The regulations provide for presumptive exceptions
and waivers to the marking requirements.[Footnote 8] USAID's final
guidance for contractors, ADS 320, issued January 8, 2007, includes
more comprehensive information on the process for preparing and
approving marking plans and branding strategies in contracts and also
eliminates the use of the USAID brand on NGO's and contractors'
business cards.
Also, USAID's Food for Peace program regulations[Footnote 9] prescribe
the terms and conditions governing activities under Title II of P.L.
480, including provisions for implementing the marking requirements of
section 202 of that law. The regulations require that, to the maximum
extent practical, public recognition be given in the media that Title
II-funded commodities or foreign assistance have been "provided through
the friendship of the American people as food for peace"; cooperating
sponsors, to the extent feasible, display banners, posters, and similar
items at project sites containing similar identifying information; and,
unless otherwise specified, bags or other containers of commodities
packaged for shipment be similarly marked. The regulations also require
that containers of donated commodities packaged or repackaged by
cooperating sponsors prior to distribution be plainly labeled with the
USAID emblem, and, where practicable, with the legend, "Provided
through the friendship of the American people as food for peace."
In addition, USAID has established regulations prescribing rules and
procedures for the marking of shipping containers and commodities under
commodity transactions financed by USAID. These regulations require
that suppliers of such commodities be responsible for ensuring that all
export packaging and the commodities carry the official USAID emblem,
except where USAID prescribes otherwise in the case of commodities. The
regulations also prescribe the manner in which the export shipping
containers, cartons, or boxes are to be marked; how the USAID emblem is
to be affixed to the containers; the size, design, and color of the
emblem; exceptions to the requirement to affix the emblem; and waivers
to the marking requirement where it is found to be impracticable.
To publicize its foreign assistance, in 2004, USAID established
communications guidelines and a network of over 100 communications
specialists located at USAID missions around the world to promote the
agency's foreign assistance abroad. The guidelines for communications
specialists delineate their role, which is to be a comprehensive
resource for information regarding USAID's work and its impact on the
citizens of the host country, and provide guidance on the activities
the communication specialists may undertake to fulfill this role. These
outreach functions include responding to inquiries about USAID
programs, collaborating with the embassy public affairs office on
strategies, speech writing for the USAID mission director and others,
preparing press releases, and coordinating Web site updates.
State Policy Allows Program Managers and Ambassadors Discretion for
Marking and Publicizing Assistance:
According to State officials, State's policy provides that department
program managers and country ambassadors use their discretion to
determine when it is appropriate to mark and publicize U.S. foreign
assistance. As a result, some programs mark and publicize activities
while others do not. For example, State has established guidelines for
project implementers to acknowledge State's support for two
presidential initiatives that State manages: MEPI and PEPFAR. The MEPI
guidelines require NGOs that implement MEPI programs to include, in all
public programs and publications, standard language acknowledging the
support of MEPI and State. For PEPFAR, the Office of the U.S. Global
AIDS Coordinator has instructed its implementing agencies to place the
PEPFAR logo on all materials procured as part of the PEPFAR initiative.
However, more sensitive Department of State activities are generally
not marked or publicized. For example, according to State officials, in
Peru, it is embassy policy to decide on a case-by-case basis, in close
consultation with the host government, the appropriate type and extent
of publicity to give counter-narcotics foreign assistance activities
done in partnership with the host government. In addition, State
officials noted that other assistance programs, such as those focusing
on counter-terrorism and weapons proliferation, are not generally
marked, but these efforts may be publicized.
Most Agencies Have Established Some Requirements or Guidance for
Marking and Publicizing Foreign Assistance:
Agencies' efforts in establishing requirements or guidance for marking
and publicizing their foreign assistance include the following:
* USDA has issued regulations[Footnote 10] for its Foreign Agricultural
Service that establish labeling requirements for commodities donated
under its program for international food for education and child
nutrition. The regulations require containers of commodities packaged
or repackaged by a cooperating sponsor to indicate that the commodities
are furnished by the people of the United States of America; if the
commodities are not packaged, the cooperating sponsor must display such
items as banners or posters with similar information. The Foreign
Agricultural Service also has included standard language in all its
food aid agreements with its implementing partners requiring them to
highlight their programs in local media in the recipient country,
identify USDA as the funding source in the media and to program
participants, and to recognize USDA in all USDA-funded printed
material.
* DOD has established policy and program guidance for publicizing
overseas humanitarian activities to ensure their maximum visibility and
publicity. The policy and guidance provides that project planners and
implementers will coordinate appropriate public affairs activities with
embassy and combatant command public affairs officers, and, where
appropriate, provide some tangible or visible marker of DOD involvement
at the site of the activity.
* HHS has established its own policies related to marking and
publicizing HHS activities. HHS officials told us that the agency's
departmentwide grants policy, as required by its annual appropriations
acts, provides that all HHS grants recipients must acknowledge U.S.
assistance when publicly describing a project. Also, HHS health
projects are generally marked with the logos of HHS and the other HHS
units such as the Centers for Disease Control or the National
Institutes of Health that are involved in implementing the foreign
assistance. HHS carries out foreign assistance programs under PEPFAR
and the President's Malaria Initiative; HHS officials stated that the
Office of the U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator has instructed HHS and its
operating divisions to place the PEPFAR logo on all materials procured
as part of the PEPFAR Initiative.
* Treasury officials said they were not aware of agencywide policy on
marking and publicizing foreign assistance activities. However, OTA
issued its own marking policy, effective December 7, 2006, for certain
types of foreign assistance provided by that office. This policy
requires that the foreign assistance must be identified with the seal
of the Treasury and the tagline: "From the American People." The policy
covers any material, goods, or equipment provided by OTA to foreign
government agencies or central banks; any public communications
intended for distribution to foreign government officials; and any
training courses or conferences sponsored and financed by OTA for the
benefit of foreign government officials. In addition, the policy
contains presumptive exceptions for waiving the marking requirements.
* While MCC's organic legislation, the Millennium Challenge Act of
2003, does not contain an explicit marking or publicity requirement for
the foreign assistance it authorizes, MCC provides for such a
requirement in its country compacts. MCC has distributed a marking and
publicity policy that, according to agency officials, requires
recipient countries and accountable entities to provide marking and
publicity requirements to acknowledge the foreign assistance from MCC
as being from the American people.
* However, Justice officials said they rely on individual Justice
agencies to determine when it would be appropriate to mark and
publicize their activities. Justice officials said they have not issued
guidance on assistance marking and publicity, and added that most of
the agency's foreign assistance is not marked because of its sensitive
nature. Some Justice officials said that they follow embassy guidance
on when to mark and publicize the agency's foreign assistance
activities. For example, Justice program managers in Indonesia and
Serbia told us they had received no guidance from Justice headquarters
on marking and publicizing agency activities, and the program manager
in Indonesia said he follows embassy guidance in determining what to
mark and how to do so.
Foreign Assistance Marking Efforts and Publicity Have Varied:
To increase awareness of U.S. assistance abroad, key agencies that we
reviewed used various methods to mark and to publicize some of their
activities and exercised flexibility in deciding when it was
appropriate to do so. These agencies used different methods of marking,
or visibly acknowledging, their assistance, including applying graphic
identities or logos on such things as publications and project signage.
In addition, agencies generally used embassy public affairs offices for
publicizing, or disseminating information about, the source of their
assistance and, in some cases, augmented these efforts with their own
publicity methods.
Agencies Marking Efforts Vary:
USAID has established the most detailed processes of uniformly marking
its assistance activities, while other key agencies either mark their
assistance activities in some way, or they provide reasons for not
marking some assistance. USAID has established a universal brand that
conveys that the assistance is from USAID and the American people.
Other agencies either use multiple logos, and in some cases, they use
logos that do not convey that the agency is a U.S. entity or that the
United States is the source of the assistance.
USAID Using New Brand to Mark Its Foreign Assistance Activities:
After the 9/11 terrorist attacks, recognizing the connection between
national security and the good will toward the United States that could
be created if more accurate information about U.S. foreign assistance
was widely known, agency officials determined that they should portray
more complete and accurate information about USAID foreign assistance.
To help focus its image abroad, USAID developed its new brand by
updating a former USAID logo, and combining it with the agency brand
name and a tagline, "From the American People."
Although USAID first began marking assistance over four decades ago,
agency officials acknowledged that it has not always systematically or
effectively marked its foreign assistance. USAID had existing standards
that specified that its foreign assistance activities were to be
marked, but these standards were not consistently enforced; and at
times, U.S. foreign assistance was marked with the implementer's logos
and program names instead of the agency logo. Agency officials told us
that it was often difficult for people to know that the foreign
assistance they received was coming from the United States. USAID
officials said they viewed the multiple brands used by USAID
implementers as potentially confusing to recipients. However, in the
past, some USAID staff believed that spending money on marking foreign
assistance could take away funds from other foreign assistance
activities, and therefore were reluctant to incur these costs.[Footnote
11] Also, USAID staff and implementers were concerned that
communication about foreign assistance could potentially draw unwanted
attention to the projects and make staff vulnerable. Figure 1
illustrates changes of USAID's brand over time, and figure 2
illustrates the use of USAID's current brand.
Figure 1: Changes of USAID's Brand:
[See PDF for image]
Source: USAID.
[End of figure]
Figure 2: USAID Sign with New USAID Brand at a Health Clinic in
Indonesia:
[See PDF for image]
Source: GAO.
[End of figure]
Other Agencies' Marking Efforts Vary:
While other departments and agencies also mark the foreign assistance
that they provide, these efforts vary. In some cases, the markings used
do not convey that the donor is a U.S. entity or that the United States
is the source of the foreign assistance.
State Department Marking Efforts:
State gives discretion to its department program managers and
ambassadors to determine when and how it is appropriate to mark and
publicize U.S. foreign assistance. Marking decisions are made at each
U.S. embassy to account for the sensitive nature of the foreign
assistance and the local conditions in country. State officials told us
that, because State's foreign assistance addresses a wide range of
issues--such as narcotics control, international law enforcement,
terrorism, weapons proliferation, non-U.N. peacekeeping operations,
refugee relief, the Global AIDS Initiative, and economic support--they
did not see any benefits from using a single visual image or mark.
Therefore, embassies have used a number of symbols to mark their
foreign assistance, including program logos, a bureau seal or unit
name, the Department of State seal, or an embassy logo.
State manages MEPI, and has agreements with its project implementers on
how MEPI assistance, which can include publications, products, and
services, is to be acknowledged. State generally leaves most decisions
on when to use the program logo to its implementing organizations but
specifies that, if used with logos of other cofunding organizations,
the MEPI logo should not be smaller than the others. Additionally,
State has developed more than one version of the MEPI logo, one of
which does not include the name of either the United States or the
Department of State (see fig. 3).
Figure 3: MEPI Logos:
[See PDF for image]
Source: The Department of State.
[End of figure]
The lack of clear marking requirements has at times created confusion
with project implementers regarding the appropriate use of the MEPI
logo. For example, in one instance a project implementer copied the
logo without the U.S. tagline--"U.S.-Middle East Partnership
Initiative"--from the MEPI Web site and used it on promotional
materials, when the logo with the tagline would have been more
appropriate, according to MEPI officials. In addition, a small portion
of MEPI projects are implemented by USAID, and these projects follow
USAID branding policy, according to an agreement between State and
USAID.
In other State marking efforts that clearly identified the U.S.
government as the source of foreign assistance, there were differences
in appearance from one mark to another. For example:
* In a Peruvian police training academy that prepared recruits to
support narcotics eradication teams, a computer room provided by
State's Narcotics Affairs Section was marked with the unit's initials
and the U.S. and Peruvian flags (see fig. 4).
Figure 4: State Marking at Peruvian Police Training Academy:
[See PDF for image]
Source: GAO.
[End of figure]
* In Montenegro, a U.S. foreign assistance site was marked with a sign
that included the Department of State emblem and the emblem of Serbia-
Montenegro with a description of the project in English and the local
language.
* In Serbia, State foreign assistance was marked with an embassy-
developed logo in which the U.S. and Serbian flags were joined to form
a bridge (see fig. 5).
Figure 5: U.S. Embassy/Serbia-Developed Flag Logo Marks an
Environmental Project:
[See PDF for image]
Source: The Department of State.
[End of figure]
USDA, DOD, and HHS Marking Efforts:
Other agencies generally determine how to mark their foreign assistance
on a program-by-program basis. For example:
* USDA specifies marking requirements in the programs' grants and
cooperative agreements. USDA's food aid agreements require that the
U.S. government is identified as the sources of the foreign assistance,
while USDA grants and cooperative agreements that provide technical
foreign assistance specify that printed materials include an
acknowledgement that the United States is the source of the foreign
assistance (see fig. 6). For Title II food programs managed by USAID,
the USAID mark is used.
Figure 6: USDA Food Aid Marking:
[See PDF for image]
Source: USDA.
[End of figure]
* DOD marks its humanitarian foreign assistance products and sites. For
example, DOD's humanitarian daily ration packages were marked with a
U.S. flag and a statement that the food gift was from the people of the
United States. In South Africa, a sign for a DOD humanitarian foreign
assistance project was marked with the U.S. and South African flags
(see figs. 7 and 8).
Figure 7: DOD Marking of Humanitarian Daily Rations:
[See PDF for image]
Source: USAID.
[End of figure]
Figure 8: DOD Marking of School Constructed in South Africa:
[See PDF for image]
Source: GAO.
[End of figure]
* HHS' health projects are generally marked with the HHS logo and those
of other HHS units involved in implementing the foreign assistance. For
example, an HHS-developed book--which was written for use in
Afghanistan and provided information on HIV/AIDS--used U.S. and Afghani
flags to mark the material. It also included a recorded message in two
local languages stating that the book was being provided by U.S.
taxpayers (see fig. 9).
Figure 9: HHS Marking of Talking Book in Afghanistan:
[See PDF for image]
Source: GAO.
[End of figure]
Agencies Exercise Flexibility in Making Decisions on When to Mark
Foreign Assistance:
The agencies we reviewed stated that when making decisions on whether
or how to mark foreign assistance, they exercise flexibility to allow
for variations in the nature of foreign assistance, risks to
implementers, or other special circumstances that foreign assistance
activities may entail. Some of these activities are more readily marked
than others. Moreover, circumstances may occur when U.S. foreign
assistance marking may need to be modified or withheld due to safety,
political, or other concerns, such as concerns associated with advising
high-level government officials or providing foreign assistance in
volatile issue areas such as narcotics control. Also, at certain times,
such as before elections, marking of foreign assistance activities may
be suspended to remove any association of U.S. foreign assistance with
certain issues--such as the connection between funding a health clinic
and the issue of reproductive health. In other cases, marking may be
withheld to ensure the local government's ownership of the programs is
not called into question.
USAID and OTA have established a process for determining when to modify
its marking requirements to allow for the differences in the nature of
foreign assistance projects and special circumstances that may be
related to foreign assistance implementation. USAID's marking
regulations identify a number of conditions under which the agreement
officer can consider approving exceptions to marking
requirements.[Footnote 12] For example, in Serbia, in order to not
compromise the perceived neutrality of program activities and diminish
the credibility of materials produced during the course of the project,
USAID approved exceptions to marking requirements for certain
activities associated with a civil society project in public policy
advocacy and reform. USAID regulations also allow for the possibility
that, political, safety, or security conditions could warrant a request
to the mission director or the most senior USAID officer at the mission
for a full or partial waiver of the marking requirements. For example,
in Indonesia, the mission director approved a waiver of the marking
requirements for a project designed to demonstrate democracy's
compatibility with Islam because of threats from religious
fundamentalists to the safety of the individuals involved in the
project. In December 2006, OTA had formalized its guidance on
determining when marking requirements for a particular project should
be modified or suspended. While this guidance states that much of OTA's
work that includes oral advice or technical assistance provided to
foreign governments and central banks is not marked, its rules for
marking any commodities, public communications, or training courses
provided by OTA may be waived in writing by the OTA Director or
designee for conditions that include safety or security concerns,
adverse political impact, and potential compromise of the intrinsic
independence of a program or materials such as public service
announcements.
Embassies' Public Affairs Offices Generally Publicize Most U.S.
Assistance:
The U.S. ambassador, as chief of mission, has authority over all U.S.
government activities in a foreign country, and the embassy public
affairs office publicizes U.S. foreign assistance activities through
press releases, Web sites,[Footnote 13] and speeches by U.S. officials.
To enhance publicity of its foreign assistance programs, USAID has
also, as mentioned earlier, established a network of communications
specialists to increase awareness of these programs in the host
country. At the time of our field visits, the public affairs officers
and USAID communication specialists were still defining their roles in
publicizing U.S. foreign assistance. For example, the ambassador in
Liberia and the public affairs officer in Indonesia expressed the
opinion that all U.S. foreign assistance should be publicized by the
embassy public affairs sections and did not see the need for separate
USAID communications specialists.
U.S. Embassy Public Affairs Foreign Assistance Publicity Efforts:
Following are some examples of foreign assistance publicity efforts
conducted by the embassy in the countries we visited.
* In Indonesia, in fiscal year 2003, the public affairs office
developed a program to enhance media coverage of U.S. assistance and
publicized 11 assistance projects. In February 2006, the embassy issued
a press release on the distribution of books and school supplies funded
by the United States to Indonesian school children. The distribution,
done in cooperation with two leading Islamic organizations, supported
the mutual goal of improving education and highlighted shared values
between the two countries.
* In Liberia, in June 2006, the embassy issued a press release on the
launching of a USAID funded radio teacher training program.
* In Peru, in June 2006, the public affairs office issued a press
release on joint U.S.-Peruvian military exercises, which included DOD
humanitarian foreign assistance to construct health clinics, done in
conjunction with the exercises. These efforts were publicized to dispel
citizens' anxiety over U.S. military exercises in that country.
However, because of the sensitivity of some other activities in Peru,
according to State officials, it is embassy policy to decide on a case-
by-case basis, in close consultation with the host government, the
appropriate type and extent of publicity to give counter-narcotics
foreign assistance activities done in partnership with the host
government.
* In Serbia, the embassy public affairs office has issued press
releases on U.S. foreign assistance provided by USAID, State, USDA,
DOD, Justice and other agencies. For example, in April 2006, the
embassy issued a press release on a Justice-implemented program to
support the organized crime and war crimes specialized institutions.
* In South Africa, the public affairs office has issued press releases
on U.S. foreign assistance provided by USAID, State, HHS, MCC, and
other agencies. For example, in January 2006, the embassy issued a
press release on a HHS -implemented HIV vaccine research initiative.
USAID Foreign Assistance Publicity Efforts:
In 2004, USAID established and trained a network of development
outreach and communications specialists[Footnote 14] to enhance the
skills of officers who handle public outreach and media and improve
coordination among USAID staff, foreign assistance implementing
partners, and the embassy public affairs sections. An assessment of
public diplomacy in the Muslim world, issued in 2003 by the Advisory
Group on Public Diplomacy for the Arab and Muslim World, concluded that
too few people knew the extent of USAID's activities and recommended
closer integration of the public diplomacy activities of agencies that
administer foreign assistance.[Footnote 15] The communications
specialists are responsible for publicizing USAID foreign assistance
(1) by developing public outreach and media materials and strategies
and (2) by providing general communications support through writing,
media relations, Web site development, and review of foreign assistance
proposals. These specialists also work with public relations staff
hired by foreign assistance implementing organizations to support them
in addressing community relations issues and publicizing their
projects. USAID has now placed these specialists at most missions; a
few large missions have been assigned more than one communication
specialist, while at a few small missions, program officers have been
asked to perform these tasks. The communication specialists' resources
vary based on individual USAID missions' decisions on how to fund their
work and whether USAID headquarters has provided additional funds for
communication pilot activities.
Following are examples of initiatives communications specialists have
carried out.
* A pilot[Footnote 16] communication campaign project in Indonesia,
which was funded by USAID headquarters, involved communications
officers overseeing the development and production of a radio, TV, and
print advertisement campaign that focused on health care, education,
and economic growth partnerships between American and Indonesian
people. The purpose of this and other communication campaign pilots was
to identify effective practices in foreign assistance publicity.
* In Peru, communications specialists worked with implementing
organizations to develop and distribute--for eventual broadcast on
regional television stations--a video of a major U.S. alternative
development[Footnote 17]foreign assistance project, which involved
building a road in northern Peru to provide farmers with greater access
to markets. On another project, a communication officer was contacted
by television producers who were preparing a video about an ecological
project that had received USAID foreign assistance funding. At the
communications officer's suggestion, the producers interviewed the
USAID mission director to highlight how USAID supported the project.
The final film was shown on television.
* In Serbia, two newly hired communication specialists redesigned a Web
site and, subsequently, developed questions on public awareness of
USAID's foreign assistance activities that were incorporated into the
embassy's public opinion poll.
* According to mission officials in South Africa, the outreach efforts
of the communications specialist there have resulted in an improved
perception among the local population of USAID/South Africa programs,
which were previously hampered by negative comments made by high-level
South African government officials in the late 1990s. In addition, the
communications specialist conducted five training workshops, primarily
for PEPFAR partners, on how to write stories of successful projects.
The workshops resulted in more than 40 stories submitted by
implementing partners, which were posted on various U.S. government Web
sites and in publications. This effort was also sanctioned by the
embassy public affairs section.
Challenges to Marking and Publicizing May Result in Missed
Opportunities to Increase Public Awareness of U.S. Foreign Assistance:
We identified some challenges to marking and publicizing U.S. foreign
assistance that may result in missed opportunities to increase public
awareness of U.S. foreign assistance. First, little reliable work has
been done to assess the impact of U.S. assistance on foreign citizens'
awareness of that assistance. Second, although the newly appointed DFA
has begun to develop governmentwide guidance for marking and
publicizing all U.S. foreign assistance, it is unclear to what extent
this policy will be implemented by agencies whose foreign assistance
programs are not under State's direct authority.
Agencies Conduct Some Research on Impact of U.S. Foreign Assistance
Activities, but Lack Clear Guidance for Such Research:
State conducts some research[Footnote 18] on public perceptions of the
United States and its foreign assistance activities. State's Bureau of
Intelligence and Research conducts approximately 120 surveys per year
in about 80 countries, according to a State official. However, these
surveys focus on tracking trends in the foreign public's perception of
the United States to serve U.S. public diplomacy efforts and do not
assess public awareness of U.S. foreign assistance activities or the
effectiveness of publicity activities. Some individual embassies
perform surveys of public attitudes and awareness relating to U.S.
foreign assistance activities. For example, the surveys commissioned by
the embassy in Serbia and Montenegro attempt to measure public
awareness of foreign assistance programs in addition to measuring
public perception of the United States. However, the surveys do not
attempt to link any foreign assistance programs to the level of
awareness, but instead track changes in the level of awareness for a
given period of time.
USAID also conducts some research. The agency requires that its
communications specialists develop a communications strategy that
includes methods to measure impact, and USAID's communications manual
encourages communications specialists to monitor local media coverage
and obtain and analyze locally conducted polls as a means to measures
results. The agency has contracted with polling firms to conduct eight
public opinion surveys in various locations overseas--including one
survey in Egypt, two in Indonesia, one in Jordan (along with a focus
group), one in Colombia, and three in the West Bank and Gaza. According
to a USAID official, these surveys were designed to test different
methods for conducting broad-based public affairs campaigns. The
surveys included questions to assess (1) the extent of awareness of
USAID and U.S. foreign assistance; (2) attitudes toward USAID and U.S.
foreign assistance among recipients of that foreign assistance; and (3)
which communication sources, ranging from billboards and magazines to
television and the Internet, may be most effective in reaching target
audiences. Although each of the USAID surveys we reviewed provide
information about the extent of awareness of USAID and U.S. assistance,
the surveys in Colombia, Egypt, Jordan, and the West Bank and Gaza were
not designed to compare pre-and post-campaign levels of awareness. A
USAID official agreed that pre-and post-branding measurement of public
opinion was important to measure the impact of USAID's branding
activities, know which branding activities were most effective, and use
the lessons learned to improve USAID's branding activities.
Recently, USAID has begun to provide some guidance to communications
specialists responsible for managing research programs. USAID hired a
contractor to train communications specialists on public opinion
polling. The training instructs communications specialists on issues
such as the importance and benefits of polling, types of polling, the
most effective ways to deliver messages, principles of sampling in
polling, and how to hire a qualified agency to conduct the polls. Also,
USAID officials said they are developing a manual to provide guidance
on communications research instruments, primarily focused on polling.
The manual will include key criteria for evaluating the quality of the
research instruments and a standard set of questions to include in
research instruments.
Ad Council[Footnote 19] executives whom we met with emphasized that
successful quantitative research, such as surveys, to measure results
of efforts are key practices they use in their public service
campaigns. Also they conduct pre-and post-tracking studies to benchmark
attitudes and behaviors. In addition, they examine best practices,
including areas where the practice has worked well and learned how to
emulate them. In addition, these executives examine cases where their
efforts have yielded poor results and implement some policies that
could alleviate the situation. See appendix II for additional key
practices identified by the Ad Council executives.
The United States Lacks Governmentwide Guidance for Marking and
Publicizing Its Assistance:
While some agencies have established policies, regulations, and
guidelines on marking and publicizing U.S. foreign assistance, we found
that USAID missions and all federal agencies and presidential
initiatives providing assistance overseas have not received clear and
consistent direction on marking and publicizing U.S. foreign
assistance. During our field visits to five countries between May and
August 2006, we found that three of the five embassies lacked specific
guidance that addresses assistance publicity. Embassy Mission
Performance Plans are the means by which an embassy aligns its plans,
programs, and resources with the U.S. government's international
affairs strategy, including publicizing foreign assistance. Only one
Mission Performance Plan--for Serbia and Montenegro--listed foreign
assistance publicity as an embassy priority and established that the
embassy would increase its outreach activities and aggressive
advertising of U.S. foreign assistance by (1) improving media coverage,
(2) coordinating public diplomacy activities at the mission to improve
synergy and publicity of foreign assistance programs, and (3) using
polling and focus group information to help direct these efforts. The
embassy was also planning to expand exchange programs that would bring
individuals from Serbia and Montenegro to the United States. The
ambassador said that he became aware that U.S. foreign assistance was
not widely known in Serbia and Montenegro after he arrived at the
mission and saw that implementing partners often used project logos
that did not clearly communicate that the foreign assistance was from
the United States. He identified a need to more clearly portray U.S.
foreign assistance and made it a priority for the embassy. In addition,
the Mission Performance Plan for Liberia called for publicizing U.S.
efforts to rebuild security services and promote respect for human
rights.
In the five countries that we visited, we also found that assistance is
publicized by public affairs officers on an ad hoc basis and, as a
result, embassies may miss opportunities to publicize their foreign
assistance activities. For example, in Indonesia, the USDA attaché told
us that an exchange program that brings agricultural specialists to the
United States for training has not been publicized by the embassy
because the public affairs officer was not aware of it. Also in
Indonesia, the public affairs officer almost missed a publicity
opportunity when the officer was initially opposed to issuing a press
release on an event to promote a teacher-training program that was
attended by representatives of an NGO and 15 Indonesian institutions,
because communicating about the program was not an embassy priority.
The public affairs officer later reconsidered and issued a press
release.
Moreover, agencies at embassies may receive conflicting guidance on
marking their assistance activities when an agency's headquarters
position on marking differs from an embassy's position. After USAID
headquarters developed its logo in 2004, the Serbia and Montenegro
embassy developed a logo (featuring the American and Serbian and
Montenegrin flags) and encouraged all agencies to use it. Most agencies
used the logo to mark and publicize their foreign assistance
activities, and the logo was also used on the embassy Web site.
Subsequently, the USAID mission developed and used a logo that combined
the embassy logo and USAID's logo. Although the USAID mission's logo
was different from the embassy logo, the ambassador agreed to the
compromise, and USAID used that logo to mark and publicize its
assistance activities. However, in June 2006, USAID headquarters told
the mission that this new logo violated USAID standards and required
the mission to discard that logo and use USAID's standard logo.
DFA Faces Key Challenges in Coordinating Marking and Publicizing
Efforts:
The DFA has acknowledged that the lack of governmentwide guidance on
marking and publicizing foreign assistance activities limits agencies'
ability to make recipients aware of the extent of U.S. assistance. In
July 2006, the DFA requested that his office and the Bureau for Public
Diplomacy and Public Affairs work together to ensure that U.S.
embassies, USAID missions, and all government agencies receive clear
and consistent guidance on marking and publicizing U.S. assistance.
Also, the DFA recommended that all foreign assistance be unified under
one agency-neutral brand that would ensure that the assistance is
recognized and associated with the United States. The DFA and the Under
Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy are currently developing a
proposal to provide guidance to all federal agencies in 2007.
Despite these efforts to develop governmentwide guidance for marking
and publicizing all U.S. foreign assistance, it is unclear to what
extent this guidance will be implemented by agencies whose foreign
assistance programs are not under the DFA's direct authority. According
to DFA officials, the DFA has budget authority over USAID, most State
foreign assistance activities, and activities of agencies funded by
State or USAID. Also, the DFA will have authority to coordinate the
activities of some foreign assistance activities managed by other
agencies, because, according to DFA officials, any activities funded by
USAID or State that are implemented by other agencies will fall under
the authority of the DFA. For example, the DFA will have the authority
to coordinate some of the technical foreign assistance and training
programs administered by the Department of Justice that are funded by
State. However, according to DFA officials, the director's office will
not have authority over about 20 percent of all U.S. foreign
assistance. This includes some of State's programs, such as State's
Office of U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator, which is funded separately from
the Department of State budget--though DFA officials told us that the
DFA's office has reached an oral agreement with the AIDS Coordinator to
coordinate their activities. In addition, DFA has no authority over,
for example, DOD, HHS, USDA, Treasury, and MCC activities that are
funded by sources other than State or USAID.
Conclusions:
Some key U.S. agencies providing foreign assistance have established
policies, regulations, and guidelines on marking and publicizing U.S.
foreign assistance, and some have used varied methods to implement
these requirements. Despite these efforts, the United States lacks
reliable information to assess the impact of marking and publicity on
increasing awareness of U.S. assistance. According to U.S. public
service awareness campaign executives with whom we met, quantitative
research that includes pre-and post-tracking studies--as well as
drawing from lessons learned regarding which types of approaches are
working more effectively than others--are key practices that they use
in measuring the impact of their awareness campaign. Although State's
public opinion polls measure general public opinion trends, they do not
specifically provide information on the impact of the U.S. government's
overall efforts to increase public awareness of U.S. foreign assistance
activities. USAID has only completed a limited number of surveys to
measure public awareness of U.S. assistance, including a public opinion
survey of U.S. post-tsunami efforts in Indonesia. According to USAID
officials and USAID surveys, marking and publicizing the source of U.S.
foreign assistance following the December 2004 tsunami likely
contributed to increasing favorable public opinion about the United
States in Indonesia. USAID has begun to develop guidance on measuring
the effectiveness of its publicity efforts.
In addition, the DFA acknowledges that because there is no
governmentwide guidance on marking and publicizing assistance, there
may have been missed opportunities to increase recipient awareness of
the extent of U.S. foreign assistance. To address this issue, the DFA
plans to establish marking and publicizing guidance for all U.S.
agencies providing assistance abroad in 2007. However, obtaining the
cooperation of those agencies implementing foreign assistance programs
not under the DFA's direct authority is critical to a successful U.S.
governmentwide marking and publicizing approach and remains a
challenge.
Recommendations for Executive Action:
To help the United States ensure that recipients of its foreign
assistance are aware that this assistance is provided by the United
States and its taxpayers, we are making two recommendations.
* To enhance U.S. marking and publicity efforts, and to improve the
information used to measure the impact of U.S. marking and publicizing
programs, we recommend that the Secretary of State, in consultation
with other U.S. executive agencies, develop a strategy, which
appropriately utilizes techniques such as surveys and focus groups, to
better assess the impact of U.S. marking and publicity programs and
activities on public awareness.
* To facilitate State's effort to implement its planned governmentwide
guidance for marking and publicizing all U.S. foreign assistance
programs and activities, we recommend that the Secretary of State, in
consultation with other U.S. executive agencies, establish interagency
agreements for marking and publicizing all U.S. foreign assistance.
Agency Comments and Our Evaluation:
We provided a draft of this report to USAID, State, Agriculture, DOD,
HHS, Justice, the Treasury, and MCC. We obtained written comments from
State (see app. V). State concurred with our recommendations and
indicated that a Policy Coordination Committee formed by the Under
Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy in the National Security
Council plans to develop a governmentwide Strategic Communications Plan
that will address assessment of marking and publicity programs and will
develop governmentwide marking and publicity guidance. We also received
technical comments on this draft from USAID, State, DOD, and MCC, which
we incorporated where appropriate.
We are sending copies of this report to interested congressional
committees, USAID, the Departments of State, Agriculture, Defense,
Health and Human Services, Justice, the Treasury, and Millennium
Challenge Corporation. We will also make copies available to others
upon request. In addition, the report will be available at no charge on
the GAO Web site at http://www.gao.gov.
If you or your staff have any questions about this report, please
contact me at (202) 512-4268. Contact points for our Offices of
Congressional Relations and Public Affairs may be found on the last
page of this report. GAO staff who made major contributions to this
report are listed in appendix VI.
Sincerely yours,
Signed by:
Jess Ford, Director:
International Affairs and Trade:
[End of section]
Appendix I: Scope and Methodology:
To determine the regulations and policies that agencies have
established to mark and publicize foreign assistance, we analyzed
legislation establishing the statutory basis for marking and
publicizing foreign assistance, including legislation providing funding
for foreign assistance activities, and organic legislation establishing
the various foreign assistance agencies. We reviewed major foreign
assistance legislation including the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 and
Public Law 480. We also reviewed the Intelligence Reform Act of 2004,
which assigns the Department of State (State) a coordination role in
publicizing foreign assistance, as well as legislation that authorized
foreign assistance programs separate from the Foreign Assistance Act,
such as the Millennium Challenge Act of 2003 that established the
Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC). We discussed these laws with
agency officials at the United States Agency for International
Development (USAID), State, the Departments of Agriculture, Defense
(DOD), Health and Human Services (HHS), Justice, the Treasury, as well
as MCC who are responsible for their implementation as it applies to
marking and publicizing their foreign assistance activities. In
addition, we reviewed regulations these agencies had established to
implement legislative marking requirements related to agencies'
policies and other relevant documents. We also discussed the agencies'
regulations and policies with cognizant officials at each agency.
To determine how USAID, State, and other agencies are marking and
publicizing their foreign assistance activities, we discussed their
activities with cognizant officials at their headquarters in
Washington, D.C. We also met with representatives of nongovernmental
organizations (NGO) and contractors in the Washington, D.C., area--such
as Food For The Hungry, National Democratic Institute, the American Bar
Association/Central European and Eurasian Law Initiative, Chemonics,
and Development Alternatives, Inc.--who implement many of the agencies'
foreign assistance activities. In addition, we traveled to U.S.
embassies and USAID missions in Indonesia, Peru, Serbia, Montenegro,
and South Africa. In those countries, we (1) met with agency officials
at the embassies and missions and representatives of NGOs and
contractors who implement foreign assistance activities; (2) collected
and analyzed agency documents, regarding their foreign assistance
marking and publicizing efforts; and (3) visited several sites in each
country to observe marking and publicizing activities of U.S. agencies
and their implementing organizations. In particular, we visited various
recipients of U.S. foreign assistance in Belgrade, Serbia; Podgorica,
Montenegro; and Pretoria, South Africa. We also traveled to Banda Aceh,
Indonesia, and several locations in Serbia, Montenegro, and Peru, to
observe marking and publicizing activities and discuss those activities
with U.S. government officials, representatives of implementing
organizations, and recipients of foreign assistance. We also traveled
to Liberia and met with embassy and USAID mission officials.
To determine the challenges the United States faces in marking and
publicizing foreign assistance activities, we met with cognizant agency
officials in Washington, D.C., and the U.S. embassies and USAID
missions in Indonesia, Peru, Serbia, Montenegro, and South Africa. We
also analyzed agency documents, including Mission Performance Plans and
other policy and guidance documents at headquarters, U.S. embassies,
and USAID missions in Indonesia, Peru, Serbia, Montenegro, and South
Africa. In addition, we analyzed surveys and polls conducted for USAID
and State, communications manuals, and training materials used as part
of USAID's and State's efforts to determine foreign audiences' opinions
about the United States and their awareness of U.S. foreign assistance
activities. Further, we discussed those surveys and polls with
cognizant agency officials in USAID and State.
To determine foreign government organizations' marking and publicity
practices, we held discussions with representatives of international
foreign assistance organizations, including the Australian Government's
Overseas Aid Program (AusAID), the Canadian International Development
Agency (CIDA), the Department for International Development (DFID) of
the United Kingdom, the European Union (EU) assistance implemented
through the European Agency for Reconstruction, German Agency for
Technical Cooperation (GTZ), the Icelandic International Development
Agency (ICEIDA), and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).
We also reviewed relevant documents provided by these organizations on
their marking and publicity practices, including guidelines on marking
and communications.
We included in the scope of this review foreign assistance programs
administered or implemented by USAID, State, Agriculture, DOD, HHS,
Justice, the Treasury, and MCC. Among these entities, we included
programs in the following categories--bilateral development foreign
assistance; humanitarian assistance; and economic assistance in support
of U.S. political and security goals, with the exception of payments to
support countries involved in the Middle East Peace Process, including
countries of importance in the war on terrorism, and programs that
address issues of weapons proliferation. We excluded from the scope of
this review multilateral economic contributions or payments that are
combined with funds from other donor countries to finance multilateral
development projects of international organizations that include the
United Nations, the World Bank, and other multilateral development
banks. We also excluded military foreign assistance provided to help
selected countries acquire U.S. military equipment and training. We
conducted our work from December 2005 through January 2007 in
accordance with generally accepted government auditing standards.
[End of section]
Appendix II: Key Marking and Publicity Practices Used in the Public
Sector:
Ad Council executives with whom we met with identified key practices
that they use to guide their public service campaigns. These practices
relate to areas that we assessed as part of our examination of U.S.
government efforts to mark and publicize foreign assistance.
Specifically, the key practices identified include the following:
* Determine what is appropriate to be marked. It is important to
maintain flexibility and conduct research to ensure that efforts do
more good than harm. Be mindful of potential unintended effects of
branding.
* Maintain a simple message. Conduct research regarding sensitivity of
wording and language.
* Articulate the universal truth or message differently, as appropriate
for specific demographics and international backdrops. It is critical
to separate programs from political issues to prevent programs and
policies from being linked together.
* Use targeting or tailoring to help create connection with audience.
Examine best practices, identify where the practices have worked well,
and learn how to emulate them. Also examine cases where branding has
been ineffective and implement some policies that could alleviate the
situation.
* Conduct quantitative research, such as surveys, to measure results of
efforts. Conduct pre-and post-tracking studies to benchmark attitudes
and behaviors.
[End of section]
Appendix III: Other Governments' Donor Organizations and the GTZ
Marking and Publicity Practices:
While other governments' donor organizations and the German Agency for
Technical Cooperation (GTZ) generally mark and publicize their
assistance, none of these organizations have undertaken a campaign to
develop a mark for their foreign assistance abroad on the scale that
USAID has to date.[Footnote 20] Like the United States, other
governments' organizations generally use marking to gain recipient
recognition for their contributions. We found that the six donors and
the GTZ generally had some form of marking implementing policies and
procedures. However, unlike most U.S. foreign assistance publicizing
efforts, other government organizations' efforts to communicate about
foreign assistance were more targeted toward their own constituents
rather than host country citizens. These organizations generally do not
formally monitor or measure their marking or publicity efforts.
Other Governments' Donor Organizations and the GTZ Use Marking to Gain
Recognition for Their Contributions:
Other governments' donor organizations and the GTZ that we studied
generally use marking to gain recognition or maintain domestic support
for their contributions. Donor organizations and the GTZ that we
contacted identified a number of practices for marking, including
adapting such efforts for each host country, and ensuring high-level
stakeholder cooperation to facilitate implementation of these marking
efforts. Additionally, in some countries, to ensure marking
consistency, governments require all organizations, including bilateral
donors, to use the national symbol along with the organization's logo.
For example, the Australian Government's Overseas Aid Program (AusAID)
and the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) marks include
the national symbols of Australia and Canada, respectively, and
assistance provided by the European Union (EU) are generally marked
with the EU logo. Other organizations, including the Department for
International Development (DFID) of the United Kingdom, GTZ, the
Icelandic International Development Agency (ICEIDA), and the Japan
International Cooperation Agency (JICA) have their own unique
organization logos. In addition, some donors are more flexible than
others with their marking requirements. For example, according to
representatives of ICEIDA, their marking procedures are not mandatory,
but implementing partners often use their marks on publications.
Conversely, AusAID requires its partners to mark all of its assistance.
Figure 10 illustrates each of the selected organizations' marks.
Figure 10: Logos of Other Governments' Donor Organizations and the GTZ:
[See PDF for image]
Source: AusAID, CIDA, DFID, EU, GTZ, ICEIDA, JICA>
[End of figure]
Other Governments' Donor Organizations and the GTZ, to Varying Degrees,
Have Marking Procedures or Guidance:
The marking efforts for the six donors and the GTZ that we reviewed
have some form of procedures or guidance for implementation. The
following provides a brief description of each organization's
procedures or guidance.
* AusAID's standard mark is used on its foreign assistance. The
organization's written guidelines apply to all contractors and
implementing partners to ensure marking consistency. The Australian
government has also developed a unique mark and design manual for its
Indonesia program.
* CIDA has a corporate identity logo, and grant and contribution
agreements require recipients to recognize CIDA's contribution with
acknowledgments or use of CIDA's logo in their publications,
advertising, and promotional products.
* DFID has a standard mark, which is guided by its Identity Standards
Manual. The mark is used mostly for project-based foreign assistance
and not budgetary support programs or activities. Humanitarian
assistance is branded with the United Kingdom Emergency Aid logo. This
branding applies to DFID staff and to large nonperishable items. It
will not be used when it may detract from humanitarian operations or
increase risk to staff or beneficiaries.
* The European Union has Visibility Guidelines specifying how technical
foreign assistance, supplies and equipment, and infrastructure projects
are to be marked.
* GTZ uses a standard logo and a tagline, "German Technical
Cooperation" on its information material in partner countries. An
optional slogan, "Partner for the Future. Worldwide" may be used.
Although not required, the tagline is frequently used on project
information, brochures, products, and presentations, and, in partner
countries, the name of the country is included.
* ICEIDA uses a standard logo on all of its publications. Although not
required, implementing partners often include the mark on their
publications.
* JICA has a logo that is to be used on publications, business cards,
envelopes, and vehicles. JICA also has a slogan, "For a better tomorrow
for all.", and has translated this into English, French, Spanish,
Portuguese, and Russian. A Corporate Identity Design Manual was
produced in 2003 that provides color, font, and usage guidance.
Other Donors' and the GTZ Publicizing Efforts Generally Target Domestic
Constituents Rather Than Host Country Recipients:
According to representatives of most of the organizations with whom we
spoke, domestic constituents and not foreign audiences are the target
of their communications about foreign assistance efforts. In contrast
to marking intended to ensure that governments receive recognition for
their contributions, these organizations' publicizing efforts generally
focus on informing the general public in their respective countries
about their initiatives to enhance the reputation of the aid agencies,
engage the public, create interest among civil society, and highlight
success stories. According to ICEIDA, for example, it is required by
law to publicize its foreign assistance efforts domestically. The
organizations implement these efforts by, among other things,
coordinating publicity activities between implementers' and donors'
information units; constructing project Web sites; and through other
communication mechanisms such as special events, press releases,
conferences, publications, Web pages, and plaques.
Two of the organizations required that their projects have a
communications plan targeting recipient countries. For example, CIDA
requires a communications plan on how to inform the public in the
recipient country of their projects prior to approval.
Other Donors' and the GTZ Generally Do Not Formally Monitor or Measure
Marking or Publicity Efforts:
Only one of the organizations, AusAID, told us that it monitors
implementation of its marking and publicity efforts domestically and
internationally. AusAID monitoring is done through (1) domestically
focused community awareness research and (2) a mix of qualitative and
quantitative measures, including press releases, special events,
correct markings or signage, and newsletter subscriptions. AusAID also
attempts to determine the quality of its relationships with its
partners and assesses who the assistance is reaching and how often.
Representatives from CIDA and DFID told us that they conduct public
opinion surveys, but these surveys are intended to gauge public opinion
about the agency or support for assistance in general and not to
measure marking or publicity efforts.
[End of section]
Appendix IV: Statutes, Policies, Regulations, and Guidance for Marking
or Publicizing Foreign Assistance:
Statutory marking or publicizing provision: Section 641 of the Foreign
Assistance Act (FAA) of 1961, as amended;
Content of marking or publicizing provision: Provides that "programs
under this Act shall be identified appropriately overseas as 'American
Aid.' ";
Key agencies with covered programs: HHS; Justice; State; Treasury/OTA;
USAID;
Key agencies' policies, regulations, and guidance: HHS: Follows State
policy on placing PEPFAR logo on all materials procured by HHS; policy
memorandum on the appropriate use of logos on conference material;
policy on marking health projects; Justice: Relies on individual
component agencies to determine appropriateness of marking or
publicizing activities; State: State Financial Assistance Standard
Terms and Conditions, Part II, Attachment 1-MEPI; Treasury: OTA
Instruction 4035.1--guidance for marking certain types of assistance;
USAID: 22 C.F.R. Part 226, sec. 226.91--regulations prescribing marking
requirements for grants and cooperative agreements; 22 C.F.R. Part 201,
sec. 201.31(d)--regulations regarding marking shipping containers and
commodities; AIDAR Clause 752.7999---standard clause in contracts
regarding marking of foreign assistance; ADS 320-policy directives and
procedures on marking USAID-funded activities; AAPD 05-11--policy
directive regarding acquisition and assistance regulations and
procedures.
Statutory marking or publicizing provision: Section 202 of Public Law
480 (P. L. 480);
Content of marking or publicizing provision: Requires that, to the
extent practicable, commodities provided under that act be clearly
identified with appropriate markings in the local language as being
furnished by "the people of the United States.";
Key agencies with covered programs: USDA; USAID;
Key agencies' policies, regulations, and guidance: USDA: 7 C.F.R. Part
1599, sec. 1599.12(b)-- regulations on labeling of commodities donated
under USDA's international food education and child nutrition program;
USAID: 22 C.F.R. Part 226, sec. 226.91--regulations prescribing marking
requirements for grants and cooperative agreements; 22 C.F.R. Part 211,
sec. 211.5(h)--regulations prescribing marking and publicity
requirements for USAID's Food for Peace program; 22 C.F.R. Part 201,
sec. 201.31(d)--regulations regarding marking shipping containers and
commodities.
Statutory marking or publicizing provision: Section 403(f) of Public
Law 480 (P. L. 480);
Content of marking or publicizing provision: Requires that foreign
countries and private entities receiving P.L. 480 commodities will
widely publicize "to the extent practicable" in the media that the
commodities are provided "through the friendship of the American people
as food for peace.";
Key agencies with covered programs: USDA; USAID;
Key agencies' policies, regulations, and guidance: USDA: 7 C.F.R. Part
1599, sec. 1599.12(b)--regulations on labeling for commodities donated
under USDA's international food education and child nutrition program;
USAID: 22 C.F.R. Part 211, sec. 211.5(h)--regulations on marking and
publicity requirements for USAID's Food for Peace program.
Statutory marking or publicizing provision: Section 7109 of
Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004;
Content of marking or publicizing provision: Directed the Secretary of
State to coordinate the public diplomacy activities of federal agencies
and called for cooperation between State and USAID to ensure that
information related to U.S. foreign assistance is widely disseminated;
Key agencies with covered programs: State; USAID;
Key agencies' policies, regulations, and guidance: State: None; USAID:
None.
Statutory marking or publicizing provision: Established pursuant to
agency policy rather than statutory provision;
Content of marking or publicizing provision: [Empty];
Key agencies with covered programs: MCC; DOD;
Key agencies' policies, regulations, and guidance: MCC: Standards for
Global Marking--guidelines on the use and placement of MCC logo or
other appropriate logos; DOD: Policy and Program Guidance for Overseas
Humanitarian, Disaster, and Civic Aid Activities--policy and guidance
for overseas humanitarian, disaster, and civic aid activities and
assistance.
Sources: The Departments of Agriculture, Defense, HHS, Justice, State,
and the Treasury; USAID and MCC.
[End of table]
[End of section]
Appendix V: Comments from the Department of State:
\United States Department of State:
Washington, D. C 20520:
Ms. Jacquelyn Williams-Bridgers:
Managing Director:
International Affairs and Trade:
Government Accountability Office:
441 G Street, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20548-0001:
Dear Ms. Williams-Bridgers:
We appreciate the opportunity to review your draft report, "Foreign
Assistance: Actions Needed to Better Assess the Impact of Agencies
Marking and Publicizing Efforts," GAO Job Code 320386.
The enclosed Department of State comments are provided for
incorporation with this letter as an appendix to the final report.
If you have any questions concerning this response, please contact
Frances Marine, Senior Policy Advisor, Office of the Director of U.S.
Foreign Assistance at (202) 647-2627.
Sincerely,
Signed by:
Bradford R. Higgins:
cc: GAO - Zina Merritt:
F - Amb. Randall L. Tobais:
State/OIG - Mark Duda:
Department of State Comments on GAO Draft Report Foreign Assistance:
Actions Needed to Better Assess the Impact of Agencies' Marking and
Publicizing Efforts, (GAO-07-277, GAO Code 320386):
The State Department appreciates the opportunity to review and comment
on the draft report, "Foreign Assistance: Actions Needed to Better
Assess the Impact of Agencies' Marking and Publicizing Efforts."
1) General Comment-Recent Improvements in Interagency Collaboration:
This GAO report highlights several examples of the need to better
define roles between State Department Public Affairs Officers (PAOs)
and USAID Development Outreach & Communications Specialists (DOCS). For
instance, on the bottom of page 23, the report cites State Department
officials in Liberia and Indonesia who seemed to hold the opinion that
there is no need for separate USAID communications specialists. Such
examples do not reflect various steps already taken to improve
interagency collaboration in general, and State/USAID cooperation in
particular, including:
a. Policy Coordination Committee (PCC) on Public Diplomacy & Strategic
Communications: In 2006, Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy
Karen Hughes formed a new policy coordinating committee. Its
secretariat is housed at the National Security Council and members are
top public affairs officials from across the interagency, including
State, USAID, the Millennium Challenge Corporation, Department of
Defense, Department of the Treasury, Department of Health & Human
Services, Department of Justice, and Department of Agriculture, among
others.
b. Worldwide PAO Conference: Held last month, the conference brought
together more than 170 PAOs from around the world and interagency
colleagues in Washington. It included two sessions on Coordinating and
Expanding Communications with USAID and one session on the Public
Diplomacy Implications of Foreign Assistance Reform. These sessions
specifically highlighted the need to leverage resources and speak with
one voice on U.S. foreign assistance. They also provided a forum for
PAOs who work well with DOCs to share best practices with their
colleagues.
2) Response to First Recommendation-Strategy to Assess Impact of U.S.
Marking & Publicity Programs: The PCC on Public Diplomacy & Strategic
Communications is working on a government-wide Strategic Communications
Plan, in which a strategy to assess marking and publicity programs
could be incorporated. In addition, tools to measure the effectiveness
of public diplomacy programs will be considered as the State Department
continues to revamp its own strategic planning and performance
evaluation processes.
3) Response to Second Recommendation-Government-Wide Guidance for
Marking & Publicizing U.S. Foreign Assistance: The PCC on Public
Diplomacy & Strategic Communications likewise provides an ideal forum
for continued development and eventual issuance of government-wide
marking and publicity guidance.
[End of section]
Appendix VI: GAO Contact and Staff Acknowledgments:
GAO Contact:
Jess Ford, (202) 512-4268 or fordj@gao.gov.
Staff Acknowledgments:
Zina Merritt served as Assistant Director responsible for this report,
and Maria Oliver was the Analyst-in-Charge. In addition to those named
above, the following individuals made significant contributions to this
report: Virginia Chanley, Lauren Geetter, Ernie Jackson, and James
Strus. The team benefited from the expert advice and assistance of Joe
Carney, Etana Finkler, Lessie Burke-Johnson, Cynthia Taylor, and Wilda
Wong.
FOOTNOTES
[1] The Pew Research Center for the People and the Press, America's
Image Slips, but Allies Share U.S. Concerns Over Iran, Hamas, Pew
Global Attitudes Project (June 13, 2006). Pew interviewed 16,710 people
in Great Britain, China, Egypt, France, Germany, India, Indonesia,
Japan, Jordan, Nigeria, Pakistan, Russia, Spain, Turkey, and the United
States from March 31 through May 14, 2006.
[2] GAO, U.S. Public Diplomacy: State Department Efforts Lack Certain
Communication Elements and Face Persistent Challenges, GAO-06-707T
(Washington, D.C.: May 3, 2006). GAO, U.S. Public Diplomacy: State
Department Efforts to Engage Muslim Audiences Lack Certain
Communication Elements and Face Significant Challenges, GAO-06-535
(Washington, D.C.: May 3, 2006).
[3] Key executive branch agencies that administer foreign assistance
are USAID and the Departments of State, Agriculture, Defense, Health
and Human Services, Justice, and the Treasury, as well as the
Millennium Challenge Corporation.
[4] Our fieldwork in Montenegro and Serbia occurred shortly after the
May 21, 2006, Montenegro referendum on independence from Serbia that
resulted in Montenegro's separation from Serbia. However, since this
event was so recent, the conditions we reviewed essentially reflected
prereferendum conditions.
[5] In this review, we excluded contributions to multilateral
organizations, military assistance that is related to acquisition of
U.S. military equipment and training, programs related to peacekeeping
operations, antiterrorism programs, and programs related to weapons
proliferation. We also excluded foreign assistance programs that
provide economic support payments to Middle East countries.
[6] In this report, we will refer to the new USAID graphic identity as
the USAID brand.
[7] The revised regulations for marking assistance provided under
grants and cooperative agreements are at 22 C.F.R. 226.91. AAPD 05-11
(Dec.13, 2005) implements the marking requirements of 22 C.F.R. 226.91.
Also, see USAID policy at ADS 320 and its acquisition regulations at
AIDAR Clause 752.7009 (Jan. 1993) regarding marking guidance for USAID
contractors. Grants and cooperative agreements are legal instruments
for the transfer of money, property, or services to the recipient to
accomplish a public purpose. Under grants substantial involvement of
the granting agency is not anticipated, whereas under cooperative
agreements, the donor agency anticipates it will have substantial
involvement in the implementation of the agreement.
[8] The intent of the USAID marking requirement is that programs and
projects are marked, not people. Marking of vehicles, offices, and
other administrative items for internal use by the recipient is not
required.
[9] 22 C.F.R. 211.
[10] Regulations issued at 7 C.F.R. Part 1599.
[11] A number of representatives of assistance organizations told us
that it was not difficult or very costly to mark assistance.
[12] Rationales for withholding marking requirements include marking
that would compromise the intrinsic independence or neutrality of a
program, diminish credibility of assistance products, undercut country
ownership of assistance products, incur excessive cost or be
impractical for marking certain products, and violate international
laws.
[13] The Bureau of Public Diplomacy in Washington prepares articles on
U.S. policies, society, and assistance that are translated into seven
world languages (Arabic, Chinese, French, Persian, Russian, Spanish,
and English) and made available to embassies to include in their Web
sites if they choose to do so.
[14] There were 102 communications specialists working in 73 countries
as of September 20, 2006.
[15] Report of the Advisory Group on Public Diplomacy for the Arab and
Muslim World, Changing Minds, Winning Peace: A New Strategic Direction
for U.S. Public Diplomacy in the Arab & Muslim World (Washington, D.C.:
Oct. 1, 2003).
[16] In 2005 and 2006, USAID, Bureau for Legislative and Public Affairs
funded pilot communication campaigns in Jordan and West Bank, Gaza, in
addition to Indonesia. A more limited campaign was also implemented in
Lebanon. In Egypt, Legislative and Public Affairs has started to
identify messages and themes with a nationwide survey to define
audiences and develop strategies for future communication campaigns in
the country; and in Colombia, Legislative and Public Affairs helped
develop a survey to establish a baseline to evaluate the USAID outreach
strategy.
[17] The Alternative Development Program supports the reduction of
illegal coca crops in targeted areas of Peru. The program (1) helps
families to increase their income from legal crops and other income
generating activities, (2) improves access to markets for legal goods
and services, (3) improves living conditions for citizens, (4)
strengthens local governments, and (5) raises awareness of the
environmental and social damage caused by drug production and use.
[18] Research instruments include surveys and focus group discussions.
[19] The Ad Council is a private, nonprofit organization that marshals
volunteer talent from the advertising and communications industries,
the facilities of the media, and the resources of the business and
nonprofit communities to deliver critical messages to the American
public. The Ad Council produces, distributes, and promotes thousands of
public service campaigns on behalf of nonprofit organizations and
government agencies in issue areas such as improving the quality of
life for children, preventative health, education, community well
being, environmental preservation, and strengthening families.
[20] The GTZ is an implementing agency that works on behalf of the
Federal Republic of Germany.
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