USAID Unveils Five-Year Plan in Afghanistan --- WASHINGTON, Feb 13 2014 (IPS) - Even as most international military forces are slated to leave Afghanistan by the end of 2014, USAID, the foreign aid arm of the U.S. government, is emphasising its sustained commitment to developing Afghanistan’s economy after the withdrawal. -- This week, USAID unveiled three new development initiatives for Afghanistan, which the agency will be focusing on for the next five years. --- The United States has cut civilian assistance to Afghanistan by 50 percent for the current fiscal year, due to frustrations over Afghan President Hamid Karzai’s continued refusal to sign a security pact ensuring a post-2014 presence of U.S. troops in the country. Nonetheless, this disagreement will not have an impact on USAID’s new initiatives, as they are financed entirely with funds from the 2012 and 2013 fiscal years. --- The three new USAID initiatives will focus on trade, agriculture, upper-level education and workforce development. - More, Bryant Harris, IPS, at: http://www.ipsnews.net/2014/02/usaid-unveils-five-year-plan-afghanistan/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=usaid-unveils-five-year-plan-afghanistan