Strategic Goal Six
Lives Saved, Suffering Reduced, and Development Potential Reinforced

The Humanitarian Assistance (HA) Goal includes two objectives, as follows:

• Relief: Meeting urgent needs in crisis situations, and
• Transitions: Re-establish security and basic institutions to meet critical needs and political rights.

The HA Goal is a reporting framework of USAID programs and funding sources used to respond to humanitarian crises and begin the process of post-conflict reconstruction. The crosscutting nature this framework is important as the Agency integrates programs, resources and results from other goal areas, rather than has separate funding and programmatic stovepipes. Moreover, in the political context of many post-conflict transition countries, it is important to understand the different funding spigots and programs and how the combination of USAID DA funding spigots are used in conjunction with the integration of more politically-based ESF funding to achieve common foreign policy and strategic objectives. In using this crosscutting approach, the Agency is attempting to capture the synergism created through the strategic planning process at the country level by combining central and regional bureau resources and programs to save lives, alleviate suffering and support economic and political transitions

In addition to the continued challenge of responding to the growing needs of complex and natural disasters, USAID has a new responsibility for responding to terrorism, and nuclear, biological and chemical disasters in developing countries. Most emergencies are complex, lasting several years, characterized by disruption of traditional food supply networks, and failing economic, political and social institutions. - Humanitarian crises increase in scale and complexity. Humanitarian crises continue to afflict a large number people, affecting an estimated 418 million people in 1998. Natural disasters affected approximately 315 million people, while complex emergencies affected at least 103 million people. As a result, emergency assistance, according to the UN, currently accounts for more than 50 percent of all the aid. In 1998, natural disasters created more refugees than wars and conflict. Degradation of the environment caused by a confluence of declining soil fertility, drought, flooding, and deforestation, drove 25 million "environmental refugees" from their land and into already marginal lands and vulnerable squatter communities. There is compelling evidence of a trend towards weather triggered super-disasters that have far reaching economic, social and political consequences of governance beyond the immediate crisis response phase.

The Agency working with our implementing partners and other donors has adopted the following indicators to track performance:

• Crude Mortality Rate for Refugee and Vulnerable Populations Returned to Normal Range within Six Months of Onset of the Emergency Situation
  
  
• Nutritional Status of Children Under 59 Months who are Wasted
  (Weight-For-Height)

POST-CONFLICT TRANSITIONS

Promotion of political, social and economic freedom is an overarching goal for the Agency. Achievement of this result requires a multi-faceted approach to program, emphasizing conflict prevention, mitigation, and post-conflict reconstruction/rehabilitation. The Agency has been experimenting with more diversified approaches to working transition countries. USAID missions are tackling the problems through a relatively balanced apportionment amongst all sectors using innovative programming reports within the transition countries, such as alternative media approaches, for example. What is unusual is that the Missions are reporting on these as components of an overall strategy for stabilization. The Office of Transition Initiatives (OTI) has been playing a leading role in this regard working with the Democracy Governance Center.

The Agency is tracking performance of post-conflict transitions using the following indicator:

• Political Rights and Civil Liberties in Post-Conflict Situations Increased