How We Do It: Strategies and Guiding Documents

Digital Health Policy and Guidance 
Digital Health Position Paper
USAID envisions a world in which all people have equitable access to safe, secure, and high-quality health services to promote health and well-being. To support reaching this goal in an era of increasing digitalization, the USAID Digital Health Position Paper (2024–2029) lays out a strategic vision for USAID investments and activities that advance global health using digital technologies.

USAID Resilience Policy
Resilience Policy Document 
Building resilience to recurrent crises emerged as a USAID priority in the wake of large-scale humanitarian emergencies in the Horn of Africa and the Sahel in late 2011 and early 2012. It was recognized that new strategies and partnerships were urgently needed to prepare for and manage shocks and stresses in ways that protect development gains and limit the need for costly humanitarian assistance. Since then, our understanding of risk has expanded beyond extreme weather events and natural disasters to include conflict and fragility, disease, economic instability, accelerating climate change, and other factors.

USAID Policy Framework: Driving Progress Beyond Programs
Framework Document
The Policy Framework is USAID’s highest-level policy document. It lays out a collective vision for international development, translates U.S. national security and foreign policy goals into Agency priorities, and promotes coherence among our development, humanitarian, and crisis-response policies and the work we undertake to implement them. 

Localization at USAID: Vision and Approach
Vision and Approach Document | FY 2022 Progress Report | Progress Report Summary 
USAID is redoubling our commitment to shift more leadership for priority setting, project design, implementation, and measuring results to the people and institutions with the capabilities and credibility to drive change in their own countries and communities. The Localization Vision and Approach outlines the goals, adjustments, and changes we will pursue to make our programs and our broader engagement more inclusive, equitable, and responsive to local needs.

Local Capacity Strengthening Policy 
Local Capacity Strengthening Policy Document | Learning Lab: Local Capacity Strengthening 
The Local Capacity Strengthening Policy guides USAID decisions about why and how to invest in the capacity of local partners to better achieve inclusive and locally led development. Through the policy, USAID is committing to a unified, cohesive, and systemic approach to our collaboration with local partners.

Global Malnutrition Prevention and Treatment Act (2022-2029) 
Implementation Plan Document 
In October 2022, President Biden signed the Global Malnutrition Prevention and Treatment Act (GMPTA) into law; it directs USAID to prevent and treat malnutrition globally. The GMPTA Implementation Plan serves as a roadmap for USAID’s investments with a focus on evidence-based interventions across health systems and food systems, in both development and humanitarian settings.

USAID Multi-Sectoral Nutrition Strategy (2014-2025)
USAID Multi-Sectoral Nutrition Strategy Document | U.S. Government Global Nutrition Coordination Plan (2021-2026)
USAID’s Multi-Sectoral Nutrition Strategy, 2014-2025, aligns with the 2025 World Health Assembly Nutrition Targets to guide nutrition-related programming and priorities at USAID. The strategy reaffirms USAID’s commitment to global nutrition and our role as a major international partner in the fight against malnutrition. 

USAID Climate Strategy 2022-2030
Climate Strategy Document | FAQ | Climate Change Homepage | Climate Change Resource Hub
USAID’s 2022–2030 Climate Strategy guides our whole-of-Agency approach to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions, help partner countries build resilience to climate change, and improve our operations.

2023 Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment Policy
2023 Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment Policy Document
USAID affirms that gender equality and women’s and girls’ empowerment are fundamental for the realization of human rights and key to effective and sustainable development outcomes. This policy provides the vision for USAID’s work to advance gender equality and women’s empowerment around the world—establishing our strategic objectives and driving investments across our operations and programs in order to achieve these aims.

USAID Scientific Research Policy 
USAID Scientific Research Policy Document
Research allows USAID to develop, test, refine, and evaluate new and improved products, tools, approaches, and interventions that focus on the key concerns of developing countries. Research also helps inform policy, strategic direction of programs, and overcome barriers to implementation in developing country settings. The Scientific Research Policy consolidates USAID operational policies of particular relevance to the design and management of research activities and fills important operational policy gaps.

USAID Scientific Integrity Policy
USAID Scientific Integrity Policy Document | Public Access Plan: Increasing Access to the Results of Federally Funded Scientific Research
The Scientific Integrity Policy articulates the principles USAID will follow to ensure the integrity of its scientific and scholarly activities, including how they are supported and carried out, and research findings are used and disseminated.
 

U.S. Government Global Water Strategy (2022-2027)
Global Water Strategy Document | Global Waters Knowledge Portal
The Global Water Strategy, 2022-2027, is the primary vehicle to operationalize the White House Global Water Security Action Plan launched by Vice President Kamala Harris on June 1, 2022. This strategy builds on and expands the scope and ambition of the 2017-2022 Strategy.

U.S. Government Global Nutrition Coordination Plan (2021-2026)
U.S. Government Global Nutrition Coordination Plan Document | U.S. Government Global Nutrition Coordination Plan 2021-2026 Fact Sheet
The U.S. Government Global Nutrition Coordination Plan is an interagency effort to strengthen the impact of the many diverse nutrition investments across the U.S. Government. Through coordination mechanisms, the U.S. Government is working to maximize its support to country-led programs, continue its global leadership and partnerships, and generate, share, and apply knowledge and evidence in the nutrition sector in order to accelerate progress toward shared nutrition goals.

U.S. Government Global Food Security Strategy (2022-2026)
U.S. Government Global Food Security Strategy 2022-2026
The Global Food Security Strategy presents an integrated whole-of-government strategy, with agency-specific implementation plans, that aim to end global hunger, poverty, and malnutrition through the Feed the Future initiative. This updated strategy serves as a vigorous response to new and persistent challenges, including  COVID-19, conflict, inequity, and climate change.

U.S. President’s Malaria Initiative Strategy (2021-2026)
U.S. President’s Malaria Initiative 2021 – 2026 Strategy: End Malaria Faster | Press Release
The U.S. President’s Malaria Initiative Strategy for 2021-2026 aims to greatly reduce malaria deaths and cases in countries that account for 80 percent of the world’s malaria burden—contributing to the global goals of saving more than 4 million lives and averting over 1 billion cases by 2025.

Global Thrive Act Implementation Guidance
H.R.4864 - Global Child Thrive Act of 2020
The Global Thrive Act commits the United States to invest in early childhood development through foreign assistance programs and support parents and families as they nurture, love, and protect their children by establishing a coordinated and multifaceted response at the highest levels of government. 

U.S. Department Of State And U.S. Agency For International Development Joint Strategic Plan, FY 2022-2026
Joint Strategic Plan FY 2022 - 2026 Document
This joint strategic plan addresses urgent challenges while preparing for those to come. Under this plan, the U.S. government help nations respond to COVID-19 and prepare for health emergencies, adapt to climate change, fight corruption and authoritarianism, reduce poverty, enhance food security and nutrition, improve health and education, prevent conflict, protect human rights, promote equality, and provide lifesaving assistance during crises. 

White House Health Worker Initiative
The White House Health Worker Initiative prioritizes strategic and sustained investments in the global health workforce that are key to catalyzing the U.S. Government’s efforts to achieve the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda. 

National Strategy on Gender Equity and Equality
Fact Sheet: National Strategy on Gender Equity and Equality
The National Strategy on Gender Equity and Equality outlines an ambitious agenda to help our nation close pernicious gender gaps and propel us toward a world with equal opportunity for all people. This strategy addresses barriers faced by those who belong to underserved and historically marginalized communities that have long been denied full opportunity: women and girls of color, LGBTQI+ people, people with disabilities, and all of those whose lives are affected by persistent poverty and inequality.

U.S. Strategy to Prevent and Respond to Gender-Based Violence Globally 
U.S. Strategy to Prevent and Respond to Gender-Based Violence Globally Document | Fact Sheet
The United States believes that preventing and responding to gender-based violence around the world is a matter of human rights, justice, equity, and equality. This Strategy to Prevent and Respond to Gender-Based Violence Globally elevates the human rights of women and girls globally as a U.S. national security, diplomatic, and foreign assistance priority.

U.S. Strategy on Advancing Protection and Care for Children in Adversity
Advancing Protection and Care for Children in Adversity Website | Advancing Protection and Care for Children in Adversity: A U.S. Government Strategy for International Assistance (2019-2023) | U.S. Government Monitoring and Evaluation System for Advancing Protection and Care for Children in Adversity Programming
The U.S. Government envisions a world in which all children thrive within protective, loving families, free from deprivation, violence, and danger. This strategy outlines the U.S. Government’s whole-of-government commitment and approach to investing in the development, care, dignity, and safety of the world’s most-vulnerable children and their families. 

U.S. COVID-19 Global Response and Recovery Framework and USAID Implementation Plan
USAID Implementation Plan For The U.S. COVID-19 Global Response And Recovery Framework Document | Updated Global Response and Recovery Framework Summary, January 2023 
This framework outlines a whole-of-government response to COVID-19 and offers a roadmap for the world to beat the pandemic. The USAID Implementation Plan describes the strategic approach USAID will continue to undertake to advance the framework, outlining the assistance and technical expertise the Agency will provide to help combat the pandemic, strengthen public health capacity, provide urgent relief, and address compounding impacts that imperil recovery and sustained development.

U.S. National Biodefense Strategy and Implementation Plan
This strategy and implementation plan serves as a foundational component of the U.S. President’s vision to create a world free from catastrophic biological incidents, laying out a set of objectives to effectively counter the spectrum of biological threats.