McCaul Sends Letter to USAID Appointing Green to People-to-People Partnership for Peace Fund Advisory Board

Media Contact 202-225-5021

Thank you for your July 26 letter regarding the Nita M. Lowey Middle East Partnership for Peace Act (MEPPA). Pursuant to Sec. 8004 of PL 116-260, I write to appoint Ambassador Mark Green to the advisory board for the People-to-People Partnership for Peace Fund ("the Fund").

The bipartisan MEPPA legislation tasks USAID with establishing a program to provide funding for projects to build the foundation for peaceful co-existence between Israelis and Palestinians. It is imperative these projects do more than enrich the participants; these activities must make a measurable and demonstrable impact on the facts on the ground to support peace. This formidable task requires advisory board members to provide clear- eyed assessments of possible projects to ensure that taxpayer dollars are used most effectively to achieve the program's goals.

As a former Administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development, Ambassador Green is uniquely qualified to advise USAID on the types of projects that should be considered for funding. Ambassador Green has a real world understanding of USAID's strengths regarding conflict mitigation and people-to-people program funding and implementation. Ambassador Green will use this expertise to provide suggestions that take into account both the ambitious goals of the Fund and the challenging realities of using foreign assistance as a tool of foreign policy. Ambassador Green also has extensive experience with the Middle East from his work with USAID and his service as a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. I can think of no better candidate than Ambassador Green to serve on the advisory board.

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