A New Vision for Global Development with USAID Administrator Samantha Power

On November 4, 2021, SFS was honored to welcome USAID Administrator Samantha Power to celebrate the 60th anniversary of USAID and share her vision for inclusive international development. Co-sponsored by the Global Human Development (GHD) program and the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition, the event included reflections on the legacy of USAID founder President John F. Kennedy, a conversation with 2020 Payne Fellowship Recipient Katryna Mahoney (GHD’22) and a Q&A section featuring Georgetown students and USAID partner organizations.

Throughout the event, Power emphasized the importance of not only providing international aid, but of critically rethinking the role USAID can play in humanitarian relief and international development. She identified three central priorities for her tenure as administrator: making aid more accessible, more equitable and more responsive. “The entire development community needs to interrogate the traditional power dynamics of donor-driven development and look for ways to amplify the local voices of those who too often have been left out of the conversation.” the administrator said.