MANILA — The deputy administrator of the US Agency for International Development (USAID), Donald Steinberg, will join his agency’s Manila-based officials in formally launching Cities Development Initiative (CDI) in Batangas City.
 
CDI is an integral part of the US-Philippines Partnership for Growth (PFG) program, described as “a unique and cross-cutting approach to promoting inclusive growth in strategically selected cities that include Iloilo, Cagayan de Oro, and Batangas.”
 
Steinberg will be in Manila on May 3 to 5, as a member of the U.S. delegation to the Asian Development Bank’s (ADB) 45th Annual Meeting of the Board of Governors. He will participate in a Development Partners Session where he will share insights on recent changes in global aid architecture and its implications for development cooperation.
 
Together with USAID/Philippines Mission Director Gloria D. Steele, he will also sign bilateral agreements with the Philippine government to affirm USAID’s support for PFG and continued support for Mindanao development and assistance for conflict-affected areas.
 
The PFG mobilizes the resources of both governments to address the most serious constraints to economic growth and development in the Philippines. The initiative will help the Philippines move to a higher, sustained and more inclusive growth trajectory in line with other high-performing emerging economies, according to the U.S. embassy in Manila.
 
As Deputy Administrator, Steinberg provides overall direction and management for USAID. He is also engaged in the integration and mainstreaming of gender and disabilities into USAID, and enhanced dialogue with development partners, including civil society, business, foreign donors, international institutions, Congress, and other U.S. government agencies.
 
He previously served as Deputy President for policy at International Crisis Group, where he directed policy, advocacy, and reporting for this nonprofit organization seeking to prevent, contain and resolve deadly conflict.
 
In his nearly 30 years with the U.S. government, he served, among others, as Director of the State Department's Joint Policy Council, Deputy White House Press Secretary, National Security Council Senior Director for African Affairs, Special Haiti Coordinator, U.S. Ambassador to Angola, and Special Representative of the President for Humanitarian Demining. (PNA) RMA/GJB