FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 6, 2002

USAID Issues Guide for State International Trade and Development

States, Businesses, and Academia to Benefit from USAID’s New Resource Guide

Washington, D.C. USA (Sept. 4, 2002) – Increased interest in international trade and development inspired the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to commission, for the first time ever, a specifically tailored publication to help states, local governments, non-government organizations, businesses, academia, and individuals further their international interests. The Federal Resource Guide for Supporting State International Engagement: Coping, Competing, and Cooperating in a Global Economy contains key information on how to obtain Federal assistance for international initiatives.

The Federal government offers a myriad of programs in support of state and local organizations; however, in the past, programs specifically addressing international opportunities were not readily identified and consolidated into one resource. To improve usability and increase the overall awareness of the available programs, USAID compiled the Federal Resource Guide, which contains up-to-date information about the Federal programs available to help state and local organizations advance their international interests. USAID drew from resources such as the U.S. General Services Administration’s on-line Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance and relevant USAID programs.

Since new and existing Federal assistance programs are continually being added and revised, the Federal Resource Guide cannot be one hundred percent inclusive. However, USAID’s hope is that other interested organizations will use this guide as a template for publications that will be continually updated and made available in the future.

The publication was shipped to presidents of state universities; Governors’ Chiefs of Staff; Senate and House leaders; directors of state international trade agencies; and various national state organizations in late August. The publication is also available online on the United States – Asia Environmental Partnership’s website at www.usaep.org.