State and USAID: Status of GAO Recommendations Made in 2018
Fast Facts
During 2018, we made a combined 51 recommendations to the Department of State and the U.S. Agency for International Development.
Of the 36 recommendations made to State, 11 had not been followed as of April 2020. For example, we recommended that State work with other agencies to evaluate whether eradication and interdiction efforts in Colombia reduced the cocaine supply over the long term. As of February 2020, State reported that, working with the Department of Defense, it had signed a contract for such an evaluation.
Of the 15 recommendations made to USAID, 2 had not been followed.
Department of State sign outside of building
Highlights
What GAO Found
During calendar year 2018, GAO made a combined 51 recommendations to State and USAID. Of the 36 recommendations made to State, 11 (31 percent) were still open as of April 2020, two of which are priority recommendations. Priority recommendations are those that GAO believes warrant priority attention from heads of key departments and agencies. Of the 15 recommendations made to USAID, two (13 percent) were still open as of April 2020, neither of which is a priority recommendation.
Why GAO Did This Study
Senate Report 116-126 accompanying the Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Bill, 2020, includes a provision for GAO to report on the status of all outstanding recommendations made to the U.S. Department of State (State) and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) in GAO reports issued during calendar year 2018.