CIDC Report Highlights History of International Development Companies’ Successes

The Professional Services Council (PSC) and its Council of International Development Companies (CIDC) yesterday published a new report chronicling the history and adaptability of international development companies (IDCs).

The report, “50 Years of Development: How Private Companies Adapt and Deliver,” follows USAID’s own report on its 50th anniversary in 2012 and outlines the dramatic changes that have reshaped foreign assistance delivery since the inception of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). 

Guest Blog: And the Winners Are…The International Community and American Taxpayers

By Larwrence J. Halloran

Director of PSC's International Development Initiative

The Pulitzers weren’t the only prestigious awards handed out this week. Five PSC member companies were among 40 international development organizations recognized by DevEx as the most innovative in their field.

Results of a survey of thousands of development professionals from around the world honored Abt Associates, AECOM, Booz Allen Hamilton, Deloitte Consulting and Development Alternatives Inc. (DAI) for their application of ground-breaking concepts and approaches against stubborn development challenges.

Haiti Recovery Spurred by Smart Contracting

Nine months after a devastating earthquake rocked Haiti, there are signs of recovery and a return to normalcy thanks to USAID-funded projects implemented by PSC member companies.

The Re-Greening of Iraq: How Government-Contractor Collaboration Helped Restore Critical Wetlands

The Iraq Marshlands Restoration Program (IMRP) is an example of what U.S. government engagement can achieve, even in the most demanding of circumstances, when backed by appropriate contractor expertise and committed host-country institutions.

The marshlands of southern Iraq were once a major flyway for billions of birds, a source of fish and dairy products for much of Iraq, and a natural filter for the waters of the Persian Gulf. But the wetlands were heavily drained as retaliation for their inhabitants' uprising against Saddam Hussein following the Gulf War. When Allied forces entered Iraq in 2003, the marshes were only 7 percent of their original size and the area's population had dwindled from 500,000 to 125,000.

In 2003, the international development firm DAI began work on the USAID-funded project, which aimed to tackle the environmental and developmental challenges facing the marshes and their people.