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U.S. and Israel Cooperate on Development
The United States and Israel announced they will cooperate on more development projects in the near future. On a recent trip to Israel, U.S. Agency for International Development Administrator Mark Green signed a memorandum of understanding, or MOU, with Israel’s Agency for International Development Cooperation, or MASHAV.
The MOU paves the way for greater collaboration between the U.S. and Israel in the developing world, including in Africa and Latin America, among other regions. In particular, the MOU establishes a framework for leveraging the American and Israeli private sectors to help increase employment opportunities and build resilient communities. It also aims to increase development cooperation in water, education, technology, science, agriculture, cyber-security, and humanitarian assistance.
Speaking at the MOU signing, Administrator Green said, it was “only natural” for USAID and MASHAV to “work together. After all,” he noted, “we very much share the same vision. MASHAV’S vision to empower other nations to improve their own lives closely parallels USAID’s goal of fostering self-reliance. . . .We share the belief that our program(s) should look forward to the day when they can end. We look forward to the day when people could take the knowledge and tools that we’ve offered and lead their own bright future.”
USAID and MASHAV are already collaborating to strengthen food security across Africa including Ethiopia, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Uganda. . Indeed, last year, Israel joined America’s Power Africa initiative, which aims to use market-based solutions to help bring electricity to marginalized areas of sub-Saharan Africa.
MASHAV and the Israeli government are able to provide specialized experience in agricultural development, food, and water security. Indeed, Israel is a leader in the design and distribution of water conservation, desalination, irrigation and re-use technologies, among others.
Together, said Administrator Green, USAID and MASHAV, “will empower people, communities, and countries to improve their lives, to become self-reliant, and to lead their own bright futures.”