Many Selected Foreign Assistance Strategies Addressed Key Elements We Identified That Help Promote Alignment, but Some Did Not

While many of the 52 foreign assistance strategies that we reviewed at  least partially addressed the key elements we identified related to  alignment of foreign assistance strategies, some did not address these  elements. Regarding interagency coordination, 40 percent of the  strategies generally identified roles and responsibilities for implementing  the strategies, while 33 percent generally identified interagency  coordination mechanisms; 23 percent and 38 percent, respectively, did  not address these elements. Agencies’ roles and responsibilities. About 21 percent (11 of  52) of the strategies we reviewed partially addressed this element. (See app. The remaining 25  percent (13 of 52) of strategies did not address their relationship with  strategies at other levels of government. Twenty- one percent (11 of 52) of the strategies did not include any milestones or  performance indicators. Twenty-one percent  (11 of 52) of the strategies did not outline any monitoring and evaluation  plans. Agencies Do Not Have Consistent Guidance for Foreign Assistance Strategy Development That Addresses the Key Elements We Identified

The six agencies implementing most of U.S. foreign assistance do not  have consistent guidance for strategy development that could help ensure  their strategies address the key elements we identified. According to State officials, State’s Office of U.S. Foreign Assistance  Resources plays a significant role in promoting interagency coordination  by convening roundtables and working groups. Consistent guidance for strategy development  could help the agencies align their strategies and better identify and  manage fragmentation in foreign assistance planning. For example, some agencies have issued guidance that addresses many  of the key elements we identified related to interagency coordination,  strategic integration, and assessment of progress toward strategic goals,  but this guidance does not apply to all of these agencies’ strategies. Such guidance would improve  the agencies’ ability to align future strategies and to identify and manage  fragmentation in foreign assistance planning. Recommendation for Executive Action

We are making the following recommendation to the Department of State:  The Secretary of State should ensure that the Director of the Office of  U.S. Foreign Assistance Resources leads an effort to establish, in  collaboration with the five other agencies that implement most of U.S.  foreign assistance, guidance for strategy development that addresses the  key elements we identified related to interagency coordination, strategic  integration, and assessment of progress toward strategic goals. We focused on the six agencies that administer the largest  amounts of foreign assistance, according to fiscal year 2016 obligations  data: the Departments of Agriculture (USDA), Defense (DOD), Health and  Human Services (HHS), and State (State); the Millennium Challenge  Corporation (MCC); and the U.S. Agency for International Development  (USAID). We also reviewed agency guidance related to foreign assistance  strategies. USAID Kenya Country Development Cooperation Strategy 2014-2018  (May 2014)

Appendix III: Extent to Which Sectoral Strategies Addressed Interagency Coordination, Strategic Integration, and Assessment of Progress toward Strategic Goals

Our analysis of strategies we reviewed in the health, security, and  democracy assistance sectors found inconsistency in the extent to which  the strategies addressed selected, or key, elements that we identified  related to interagency coordination, strategic integration, and assessment  of progress toward strategic goals. Figures 7, 8, and 9 show the strategies in the health, security, and  democracy assistance sectors, respectively, that refer to higher- and  lower-level strategies as well as to other strategies in the same sector.
Why GAO Did This Study

More than 20 federal agencies spend billions of dollars on U.S. foreign assistance each year. Six agencies—the Departments of Agriculture, Defense, Health and Human Services, and State; the Millennium Challenge Corporation; and the U.S. Agency for International Development—implement most of this assistance, using multiple strategies. State is responsible for coordinating their efforts. Questions have been raised about potential inefficiencies in implementing multiple foreign assistance strategies.
GAO was asked to review the alignment of U.S. foreign assistance strategies. This report examines the extent to which strategies include key elements GAO identified, related to interagency coordination, strategic integration, and assessment of progress, that help ensure alignment. These elements are based on GAO's prior work on strategic planning and interagency collaboration. GAO reviewed 52 strategies related to health, security, and democracy assistance that were current in 2017. These included government-wide, agency, multi-agency, and regional strategies as well as strategies for two countries. GAO also reviewed agency guidance and interviewed agency officials.

What GAO Found

Many foreign assistance strategies related to health, security, and democracy assistance that GAO reviewed at least partially addressed key elements GAO identified that help ensure the strategies are aligned. Prior work has found that consistently addressing these elements, related to interagency coordination, strategic integration, and assessment of progress, is important for, among other things, better managing fragmentation in strategic planning. However, some strategies did not address these elements (see figure). For example:
Interagency coordination . Twenty-three percent of the strategies (12 of 52) did not address agencies' roles and responsibilities, and 38 percent (20 of 52) did not identify specific interagency coordination mechanisms.
Strategic integration . Twenty-one percent of the strategies (11 of 52) did not address linkages with other related strategies, and 25 percent (13 of 52) did not address linkages with higher- or lower-level strategies.
Assessment of progress toward strategic goals . Twenty-one percent of the strategies (11 of 52) did not include milestones and performance indicators, and 21 percent (11 of 52) did not outline plans for monitoring and evaluation.
The six agencies implementing most U.S. foreign assistance do not have consistent guidance for strategy development that could help ensure their strategies address these key elements. Some agencies' guidance addresses many of the elements but does not apply to all of their foreign assistance strategies, while other agencies have no such guidance. The Department of State (State) plays a significant role in interagency coordination. By collaborating with other agencies to establish guidance that addresses the key elements GAO identified, State could help the agencies improve their ability to align future strategies and identify and manage fragmentation in foreign assistance planning.

What GAO Recommends

GAO recommends that State lead an effort to establish, in collaboration with the five other agencies, guidance for developing foreign assistance strategies that addresses the key elements GAO identified related to interagency coordination, strategic integration, and assessment of progress. State concurred with GAO's recommendation.