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The Office of Development Finance (ODF) leads the State Department's efforts to spur economic development overseas by promoting growth-oriented economic policies, good governance, entrepreneurship, openness to trade and investment, and improved effectiveness of overseas development assistance. ODF has the lead role in the State Department on official trade financing and export credit issues – helping to promote sales of U.S. goods and services. We coordinate international donor policy for reconstruction in selected areas affected by conflicts or natural disasters. ODF works with other USG agencies and the multilateral development banks (MDBs) to assist developing countries and countries in transition. ODF works closely with the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC). Some of our achievements and ongoing responsibilities include:

• Formulating International Development Policy
  • ODF represents the State Department and helps formulates U.S. development policies for summits such as the UN Meeting on the Millennium Development Goals, the Conference on Least Developed Countries, and with G8 and G20 development discussions, In order to foster broad-based economic growth, alleviate poverty and advance global commitments to development, including the Millennium Development Goals.
  • Under the Quadrennial Diplomacy and Development Review (QDDR), we are at the forefront of efforts transforming our development work by partnering more broadly with host nations, other donors, civil society and the private sector; emphasizing innovation; focusing on results and aid effectiveness; making our aid more transparent; and elevating investment in women and girls.
  • Recognizing that financial support for developing countries takes many different forms and does not come as foreign assistance from governments alone, we also look for opportunities to foster other sources of financing for development including trade and investment, personal remittances, domestic sources, and private grants by companies and NGOs, and to encourage the broad-based institutional reforms that will allow these sources of financing to thrive.
• Reconstruction and Development in Post-Crisis Areas
  • Arab Spring
    As democratic movements swept across North Africa starting in the spring of 2011 with Tunisia, Egypt, and Libya, the office has been working to mobilize assistance from the multilateral development banks, including supporting expanding the mandate of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development to the region. The office works closely with other bureaus and agencies to develop a menu of options, bringing appropriate bilateral assistance and cooperation tools to bear.
  • Haiti
    Following the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, the office organized the International Donors’ Conference at the UN, which raised nearly $10 billion in pledges for reconstruction. ODF continues to work with the World Bank and Inter-American Development Bank on their work in Haiti and leads the U.S. government’s engagement on the multilateral donor trust fund, the Haiti Reconstruction Fund.
  • Afghanistan
    The office led the mobilization and coordination of international support for Afghanistan in late 2001 and early 2002 through the Tokyo donors' conference, which raised $4.5 billion in pledges for Afghan reconstruction. The office continues to assist the office of the Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan in working with the World Bank and Asian Development Bank to ensure effective and coordinated multilateral support for Afghanistan, and the New Silk Road vision to foster regional integration and cooperation.
  • Iraq
    In the first 3 years after the liberation of Iraq, the office led the effort to mobilize international resources to re-start economic activity and reconstruction. The office also played a central role in supporting the development of the May 3, 2007, International Compact for Iraq, in which Iraq committed to significant economic reforms in return for international donor support, including debt forgiveness.
  • Georgia
    After the Russian invasion of Georgia in August 2008, the office played the central role in coordinating the economic response by fourteen U.S. government departments and agencies, including assembling $1 billion in assistance and trade and investment measures to help stabilize Georgia economically.
  • Lebanon
    After the month-long war between Hezbollah and Israel in 2006, the office assisted in mobilizing international support for reconstruction and longer-term economic reforms to promote growth and stability. The office worked to support the success of the January 25th Paris Donors' Conference that resulted in Lebanon receiving over $7 billion in pledges of assistance.
  • Liberia 
    To ensure the international community's continued support for the Government of Liberia's reform and reconstruction agenda following 14 years of civil war, the office played a pivotal role in planning and mobilizing additional international donor assistance for the February 2007 Liberia Partner's Forum co-hosted by the U.S. Government.
  • Pakistan 
    In response to Pakistan’s fiscal challenges, the office helped to raise over $5 billion in pledges of assistance at the April 2009 Tokyo Donors’ Conference to support Pakistan’s development and social sector spending. Prior to that, in the aftermath of the 2005 earthquake, the office developed and implemented strategies to mobilize donor contributions from both MDBs and sovereign nations for the reconstruction of the devastated regions.
• Liaison with the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC)
  ODF is the State Department liaison to the Millennium Challenge Corporation to reduce global poverty. The MCC is charged with promoting transformative economic growth in low and lower middle income countries, which qualify for MCC funds by demonstrating their commitment to ruling justly, investing in their people, and encouraging economic freedom.
• Coordination with the U.S. Export-Import Bank and U.S. Trade and Development Agency
  • To help U.S. exporters compete globally and to create domestic jobs, ODF works closely with the U.S. Export-Import Bank (Ex-Im) to promote its efforts supporting exports of U.S. goods and services and providing credit and loan guarantees. ODF also works to ensure a level playing field for U.S. exporters, to minimize export credit subsidies, and to promote best financing practices by participating in export credit negotiations at the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).
  • Through its coordination with U.S. embassies and other USG agencies, the office assists the U.S. Trade and Development Agency in enabling American companies to participate in infrastructure and industrial projects as well as providing trade capacity building and other technical assistance in developing countries.
• Continuous involvement with other Government Agencies and Development Banks as a representative of the Department of State
  • U.S. Department of the Treasury 
    This office works in close coordination with the Department of the Treasury which serves as the lead point of contact between the USG and the multilateral development banks to promote U.S. views on development policy and ensure appropriate consideration of other U.S. policy objectives.
  • U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)
    ODF works closely with USAID on issues of economic assistance priorities, development policy, and aid effectiveness.
  • Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs) 
    The office leads the State Department’s engagement with the MDBs, including the World Bank, Asian Development Bank, Inter-American Development Bank, African Development Bank, and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. The office reviews loan packages from the MDBs to ensure that projects:
    • Are consistent with U.S. Government policies regarding human rights abuses or trafficking in persons;
    • Complement bilateral U.S. development efforts;
    • Foster economic growth and sustainable development;
    • Are consistent with market-oriented reforms;
    • Promote core labor standards;
    • Protect the environment; and
    • Foster transparency in governments and businesses.
    • The office represents the Department of State during replenishment negotiations for the concessional lending programs of the MDBs.
• Involvement with Environmental Initiatives
  ODF is actively involved in assuring a commitment to sustainable development through:
  • Representing the State Department in the interagency environmental working group on multilateral assistance;
  • Representing State in negotiations to update the OECD export credit group's Common Approaches on the Environment;
  • Representing State at the "Tuesday Group" with environmental non-governmental organizations; and
  • Promoting sustainable environmental infrastructure projects in the U.S.-Mexico border region by assisting in the formulation of effective policies and procedures at the North American Development Bank.