Foreign Assistance: Administration of Funds for the International Fund for Ireland

NSIAD-89-53 Published: Apr 03, 1989. Publicly Released: Apr 03, 1989.

Highlights

GAO reviewed the Agency for International Development's (AID) role in monitoring the activities and administration of U.S. contributions to the International Fund for Ireland (IFI), established to promote economic and social reconstruction and development in Northern Ireland and Ireland.

Recommendations

Recommendations for Executive Action

Agency Affected	Recommendation	Status
U.S. Agency for International Development	The Administrator, AID, should request the International Fund for Ireland's (IFI) Board of Directors to further develop its capability to collect, sort, analyze, and report economic indicators of the Fund's achievements.	Closed – Implemented AID advised the Board that it is now reporting on economic indicators and will continue to improve capabilities as time goes on.
U.S. Agency for International Development	The Administrator, AID, should exercise greater fiscal control over money disbursed to the Fund by evaluating the timing of U.S. contributions to the Fund so the money is transferred only when needed to minimize interest on the public debt.	Closed – Implemented AID continues to regard this recommendation as diplomatically and financially not feasible. However, the Foreign Operations, Export Financing, and Related Programs Appropriations Bill, 1990, contains the provision that such amount shall be expended at the minimum rate necessary to make timely payments for projects and activities.
U.S. Agency for International Development	The Administrator, AID, should request the International Fund for Ireland's Board of Directors to report specifically on the basis of a performance audit on how the program is being managed to comply with its intended purpose and donor wishes.	Closed – Implemented Peat, Marwick and Mitchell will do annual performance reports.

Full Report

Full Report (38 pages)

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Topics

International Affairs

Congressional oversightData collectionEconomic analysisEconomic growthEconomic indicatorsFinancial disclosureForeign economic assistanceFund auditsFunds managementReporting requirements