Millennium Challenge Corporation - Wikipedia In February 2020, the Cabinet of Sri Lanka said it would not sign the proposed MCC agreement in its present form. A committee of experts had determined that it contained clauses incompatible with the Constitution of Sri Lanka and was "detrimental" to the country's sovereignty.
Why Controversy Over MCC? - The Rising Nepal In fact, the concept of the MCC has emerged to provide better and more effective aid than that provided under the US Department and USAID. MCC provides grants for eligible countries irrespective of political considerations. It accentuates good economic policies like free market and low corruption.
Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) – Embassy of Nepal As of September 2017, MCC has formed partnership in 46 countries around the world including Nepal. Nepal is the only country in South Asia that MCC provided fund. ... Recognizing Nepal's strong commitment to democracy, economic freedom and good governance, MCC has selected Nepal for its support.
Introduction | Millennium Challenge Corporation MCC's mandate is to assist the world's poorest countries in reducing poverty through economic growth while strengthening good governance, economic freedom, and investments in people in those countries selected to receive its assistance.
About MCC - Millennium Challenge Corporation The Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) is an innovative and independent U.S. foreign assistance agency that is helping lead the fight against global poverty. ... With cost-effective projects, a lean staff, and an evidence-based approach, MCC is a good investment for the American people.
Indo-Pacific Strategy - State Department To date, support has included $2.9 billion through the Department of State and USAID for the economic pillar of the Indo-Pacific strategy since the beginning of the Trump Administration, and hundreds of millions more through other agencies, including the U.S. Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) and the Overseas
The Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) and Global Since 2004, MCC has committed over $14 billion in assistance through its compact and threshold agreements. Most MCC funding has been provided through compacts (96%), with a smaller proportion provided through thresholds (4%).
Putting the MCC in context | Nepali Times The Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) Compact is an 'agreement' first proposed in July 2017 between the US agency and the government of Nepal promising $500 million worth of funding to 'increase the availability of electricity and lower transportation costs —helping to spur investments, accelerate economic growth
Nepal Compact | Millennium Challenge Corporation The MCC compact with Nepal marks a new chapter in the U.S.-Nepal Partnership. ... These investments will help the Government of Nepal better deliver critical services to its people, ease the movement of goods around the country, and open up new opportunities for private investment.
India's developing economic ties with the Indo-Pacific | ORF Prime Minister Narendra Modi articulated India's Indo-Pacific concept as the SAGAR doctrine — 'Security and Growth for All in the Region', an aspiration that depends on ensuring prosperity for all stakeholder nations, guided by norms and governed by rules, with freedom of navigation.
Free and Open Indo-Pacific Strategy - Mission of Japan to ASEAN Free and Open Indo-Pacific Strategy consists of three pillars: ① Promotion and establishment of rule of law, freedom of navigation and free trade, etc. ② Pursuit of economic prosperity (improving connectivity, etc.)
Why is it called Indo-Pacific? The Indo-Pacific is an integrated region that combines the Indian Ocean, the Pacific Ocean, and the landmasses that surround them. 2. It is a proposed idea and is supported by Asia's Pacific powers as they sought a term to describe their common region.
Indo-Pacific - Wikipedia The Central Indo-Pacific includes the numerous seas and straits connecting the Indian and Pacific oceans, including the seas surrounding the Indonesian archipelago (with the exception of Sumatra's northwest coast, which is part of the Western Indo-Pacific), the South China Sea, the Philippine Sea, the north coast of
Quad is not 'Asian NATO', India never had 'NATO mentality', Jaishankar says New Delhi: The Quad, or the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, is not an “Asian NATO” and India never had a “NATO mentality”, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar said Tuesday even as he stressed that in the changing global order, like-minded countries are coming together to form coalitions.
The beating heart of the Indo-Pacific strategy is the South China Sea | ORF The region continues to be a potential conflict zone. Further, the ruling said that China had no claim to an area that was determined by the Tribunal to be a part of the Philippines EEZ and continental shelf.
Who really owns the South China Sea? Since the two-day clash of arms between China and the former Republic of Vietnam (South) in January 1974, the Paracels have been firmly in Chinese control, while the Philippines, Taiwan, and Vietnam are each holding a part of the Spratlies.
Territorial disputes in the South China Sea - Wikipedia Claimant states are interested in retaining or acquiring the rights to fishing stocks, the exploration and potential exploitation of crude oil and natural gas in the seabed of various parts of the South China Sea, and the strategic control of important shipping lanes.
Why is South China Sea so important? South China Sea accounts for at least a third of the global maritime trade. While huge oil and natural gas reserves are said to lie beneath its seabed, it is also a fishing ground crucial for food security.
Millennium Challenge Corporation - Carnegie Endowment for ... Millennium Challenge Corporation: Can the Experiment Survive? ....... The Millennium Challenge Corporation is the long-term, medium-risk component in the portfolio of foreign policy tools, and it should stay that way....... The Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) was established in 2004 to provide grants to a select group of developing countries that demonstrate a commitment to good governance by investing in the health and education of their people and adopting sound economic policies. The MCC has performed admirably in the face of a number of challenges and unrealistic expectations, but its future success depends on its ability to address important philosophical and operational issues, and on Congress reforming the mechanisms by which it funds and judges foreign aid programs. ........ With respect to the MCC, Congress should undertake the following measures: establish a commonly agreed vision for the agency; refrain from earmarking MCC funds or requiring that they be used to buy U.S. goods and services; permit MCC to take full advantage of its “no year” authority; remove the 25 percent funding restriction on low-middle income countries; permit MCC to sign up to four concurrent, full-term assistance agreements per country; increase the maximum permitted program duration from fi ve to ten years; and maintain MCC’s current independence. ......... It should review and adjust its indicators for aid eligibility; adopt riskier and more innovative investment models; modify the mechanism by which it engages the private sector; simplify the approvals, reporting, and auditing requirements during program implementation; provide earlier, more robust training for country counterparts; and eliminate its threshold program (which is designed to improve indicator performance for countries that are close to meeting the MCC eligibility criteria) and reallocate these funds to health and education programs ......... In early 2004, the Bush administration established the Millennium Challenge Account (MCA), a foreign assistance program that provides signifi cant catalytic funding to developing countries whose policies and actions have put them on the path toward solid and sustainable economic growth. Its creation was in response to the mixed results of international development efforts over the past half century and to the growing body of evidence that aid works best in countries where the national leadership has initiated a meaningful economic and political reform process. MCC is a U.S. government corporation, with a board of directors that includes four members from outside the government and is chaired by the secretary of state. Congress funds the MCA, and MCC administers its resources
US aid programs agency MCC meets increasing resistance for political interference in host countries (globaltimes.cn) Widely seen as part of the US' Indo-Pacific Strategy's push to further contain China, the MCC has been called a tool of modern imperialism. ........ Observers have revealed its state-controlled nature and called it one of the world's high-profile and large-scale state-owned enterprises (SOE) considering its relationship to the US power structure. ........ The MCC Board of Directors is comprised of the US secretary of state (Chair), secretary of the treasury, US trade representative, administrator of USAID, CEO of MCC, and four private sector members appointed by the US president with the advice and consent of the Senate. As of October, the MCC has completed 73 compacts and threshold programs in 49 countries and regions across Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe, Latin America, and the Pacific. But many in those countries have complained about the MCC's political interference. ......... The MCC may suspend or terminate the compact if it determines that the partner country is engaged in activities which are contrary to US national security interests or has engaged in actions inconsistent with the criteria used to determine eligibility. ........ "The MCC intends to protect US national interests and expand its national strategy. In its run, the economic interests are secondary while political interests are the top priority," Zhou Zhanggui, a researcher in non-traditional security and peaceful development studies from Zhejiang University, told the Global Times. ........ The MCC tends to target developing countries whose political rights and systems are in transition. The MCC's strict evaluation criteria demonstrate how the US is eager to export its ideological logic bonded with financial aid, and it eventually forces recipient countries to carry out political reforms to align with US interests, said Zhou. Conversely, political changes that are not in US interests may bring aid to a halt. ......... The MCC has terminated compacts on two occasions - one with Madagascar was terminated in 2009 due to an "undemocratic" transfer of power and another compact with Mali was terminated in 2012 following a military coup. ........ The Sri Lankan government decided not to sign the $480 million MCC agreement with the US on February 28, taking into consideration the recommendations of a committee of local experts that found some of its features as a threat to the welfare and national security of the island nation. Some residents claimed the MCC program was a new type of imperialism seeking economic hegemony over developing countries ..... Some local people were concerned the contract would turn Sri Lanka into a new colony or even a host nation for a US military base. ........ There were clauses and conditions in the agreement negatively affecting Sri Lanka's national goals and objectives, sovereignty, and national security, and were inconsistent with the legal framework and Constitution ........ The headwinds the MCC faces in Sri Lanka resemble similar disputes over its contracts in Nepal. Aid flow has stopped in Nepal as the local government has not ratified the program. A section of ruling Nepal Communist Party leaders claim the program is part of the US-led Indo-Pacific Strategy aimed at "containing China," the Kathmandu Post reported ...... Philippine officials have criticized the US for delaying decisions on MCC aid programs under the pretext of "human rights" because the US demands countries accept conditions. In December 2017, the Philippines opted out of the MCC's second-cycle aid package. ......... in 2016, the MCC announced to suspend its partnership with Tanzania amid deteriorated relations after the MCC claimed the Tanzanian presidential election "was neither inclusive nor representative." The suspension was a blow for Tanzania's efforts to bring electricity to more people as the agreement promised
Where has the Millennium Challenge Corporation succeeded and failed to incentivize reform—and why? Among the 23 federal agencies that are involved in the design and delivery of U.S. foreign assistance programs, the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) is truly unique. It enjoys broad bipartisan support in the U.S. Congress; nongovernmental watchdog groups consistently argue that the organization should be protected and strengthened; and it is held in high esteem by other bilateral and multilateral development finance institutions...... It uses third-party measures of policy performance to identify well-governed partner countries that can reasonably be expected to put U.S. taxpayer dollars to good use. It requires partner countries to lead the process of designing and implementing development projects in response to local priorities rather than earmarks or directives from Washington. It screens candidate projects based on cost-benefit analysis, and after projects are completed, it subjects them to rigorous impact evaluations.
मेलम्ची तीन वर्ष मा सकिनुपर्ने प्रोजेक्ट ३० वर्ष लगाए, तीन रुपैया मा हुने काम ३० रुपैया लगाएर गरे। थुप्रै ले काठमांडु मा बंगला बनाए।
एमसीसी भनेको USAID जस्तै हो तर बढ़ी जवाफदेहिता खोज्ने। मेरो बुझाइ त्यो हो।
रावलपिंडी का भीम रावल यति आवेश मा आएर किन बोल्छन मलाई अचम्म लाग्छ। भीम रावल को जीमेल छ कि छैन? त्यो जीमेल खोल्नु अगाडि जुन एउटा टर्म्स एंड कंडीशंस नामको दस्तावेज मा म सहमत छु भनेर बटन क्लिक गर्नुपर्छ त्यो गरे कि गरेनन? पढेर गरे कि नपढ़ेरै? मलाई जिज्ञासा छ। त्यसमा पनि आपत्तिजनक कुरा थुप्रै देख्दा हुन।
एमसीसी को कुनै दस्तावेज होला नेपाल सँग सम्बंधित। त्यो मैले पढेको छैन। तर बृहत्तर एमसीसी बारे त अमेरिका भित्र नै खुल्लम खुल्ला बहस भएको छ। थुप्रै थिंक टैंक हरुले आफ्नो विचार राखेका छन।
यो आखिर अनुदान हो। ऋण होइन।
नेपाल ले आफ्नै आतंरिक संघर्ष का आधारमा आज बहुदलीय लोकतंत्र र मिश्रित अर्थतंत्र अंगालेको छ। मिश्रित अर्थतंत्र त चीन को पनि हो। यदि एमसीसी ले देश को राजनीति मा चासो राख्छ भन्ने हो भने अमेरिका ले चाहेको कुरा नेपाल मा अहिले नै छ। नेपाल आफैले चाहेर गरेको हो। अमेरिका लाई नेपाल को बहुदलीय लोकतंत्र मन परयो भने त्यो समस्या हो?
रावल जी बारम्बार इंडो पसिफ़िक भन्ने गर्छन। त्यो हिन्द महासागर र प्रशांत महासागर सँग सम्बंधित कुरा हो। नेपाल जस्तो भुपरिवेष्टित देश त्यहाँ आत्तिनु पर्ने त्यस्तो के छ? दुबै महासागर मा सबैले निर्बाध आ आफ्ना पानीजहाज चलाउन पाउन। इंडो पसिफ़िक भनेको त्यति हो। त्यहाँ आपत्तिजनक के छ?
अमेरिका ले चीन को बीआरआइ को आलोचना गर्छ। चीन ले पनि एमसीसी को आलोचना गरेको पाइन्छ। त्यो आलोचना प्रत्यालोचना अत्यंत राम्रो हो। मैले थुप्रो समय लगाएर गर्नुपर्ने गृहकार्य अमेरिका र चीन गर्दिए। मेरो समय को वचत भयो।
एमसीसी सैन्य सन्धि होइन। ५० देश मा एमसीसी छ। एमसीसी को बाटो अमेरिकी सेना कुनै पनि देश घुसेको देखिँदैन। मलाई लाग्छ अमेरिका ले चीन सँग लड़न हामी लाई हिमालय सम्म पुग्नु परयो भन्यो भने भारत लु आइज भन्ला। तर आजको जमाना मा भुईँ सैनिक प्रमुख हुन्छ र? त्यस्तो नहोस तर यदि चीन र अमेरिका बीच सैन्य संघर्ष भयो भने दुबै सँग मिसाइल छ। दुबैको मुठभेड़ हुने संभावना भने निकै कम छ। प्रतिस्प्रधा त भएको छ।
चीन र अमेरिका बीच को प्रतिस्प्रधा समाप्त नभए सम्म कसैको अनुदान सहयोग नलिने सोंच हो भने भन्नुपरयो। बरु त्यो प्रतिस्प्रधा को फाइदा उठाएर दुबै सँग अनुदान लिनु पो पर्छ। लगेहाथ तिमीले पनि अनुदान मा रेल बनाइदेउ भनेर चीन लाई भन्नुपर्छ। कि कसो? तिमीले मात्र बुलेट ट्रेन चढ्ने? हामीलाई खोइ?
अरुण तेस्रो हुन नदिये जस्तो त होइन यो भीम रावल को अडाण? एमसीसी को अहिलेसम्म जति आलोचना आएको छ कांस्पीरेसी थ्योरी मा आधारित देखिन्छन।
कुनै देश मा लोकतंत्र र मानव अधिकार को पक्षमा दबाब दिनु उपनिवेशिता हो? दबाब पनि कस्तो भन्दा एमसीसी को पैसा आउन बंद हुने? अर्थात एमसीसी को पैसा आउला भन्ने चिन्ता हुने हरु नै "दबाब" पर्ला र एमसीसी को पैसा आउन बंद होला होस गर भन्न सुहाउँछ?
पुर्वसंरचना का लागि सकेसम्म को अनुदान लिएको राम्रो होइन? नेपाल आफैले गर्न सक्छ भन्ने लाई म भन्छु ठीक छ एउटा प्रसारण लाइन अमेरिका ले बनाओस, दोस्रो नेपाल आफैले बनाओस। पैसा छ भने दोस्रो तेस्रो चौथो।
भीम रावल, बढ़ी खरानी धसने जोगी। रावलपिंडी को मान्छे लाई नेपाली राष्ट्रियता को यति विधि चासो!
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