ABSTRACT
This chapter outlines the US Agency for International Developments (USAID) support for urban health activities, lessons learned from past and ongoing urban health efforts, and likely future efforts and priorities for the Agency in the urban health area. It shows the evolution of this topic within the Agency by considering specifically the activities of the Agencys Office of Health. Although other USAID Washington Offices, such as Population and Housing and Urban Programmes, also have experience in urban health-related efforts, their activities are largely separate from the Office of Health and Nutrition and will not be examined in this chapter. The United States Agency for International Development was created by Congress in 1961 under the Foreign Assistance Act (FAA) as a semi-autonomous agency of the US Department of State to coordinate and manage all foreign economic assistance activities, with a focus on helping the rural poor. USAID funds are apportioned according to national interests and foreign policy objectives.
