The destruction of the Kakhovka Dam in Ukraine has triggered massive flooding and displaced thousands of Ukrainians – compounding the suffering people have faced since Putin began his brutal war. @USAID immediately mobilized to deliver assistance to those impacted. THREAD↓ @USAID partners have been prepared to respond to displacements & quickly mobilized pre-positioned supplies at evacuation points including hygiene kits, food, safe drinking water, & cash assistance. Teams on the ground are already assessing needs & preparing add’l response. (2/5)

Today marks 1 year since the Armed Forces of 🇺🇦 liberated #Kyiv region from Russia’s brutal occupation. To help rebuild lives and communities, @USAID is providing critical support to local govts and those most affected by Kremlin atrocities. THREAD: When Putin invaded Ukraine, he planned to capture #Kyiv. His plan failed, but not before Kremlin forces committed atrocities against civilians in the nearby towns of #Bucha, #Borodyanka, and #Irpin. Amid the horror of occupation, people stood strong.

On Transgender Day of Visibility & every day @USAID celebrates the leadership, diversity & agency of the international transgender community, while raising awareness about the discrimination that transgender, non-binary & gender non-conforming people face worldwide. #TDOV (1/5)🏳️‍⚧️ The pride, power, and resilience of transgender people around the world—including in the face of international anti-gender, anti-rights, and anti-democratic coalitions spreading misinformation about transgender individuals—is a lesson and inspiration for all people. #TDOV (2/5)🏳️‍⚧️

Ukraine Emerges from Winter: Countries all around the world have helped power Ukraine this winter.

🧵on how the world continues to #StandWithUkraine. 1/5 The Czech Republic 🇨🇿 announced €8.5 million in financial assistance and equipment for Ukraine to support Ukrainians through winter including generator systems and heaters. 2/5

Just launched our new @USAID Policy Framework, which outlines how we’re driving progress through and beyond our programs.

The Framework lays out how we are confronting the greatest challenges of our time with a focus on five priority areas: usaid.gov/policyframewor…

🧵1/5 #1: Responding to complex emergencies in the short-term, while investing in peace, resilience, and food security in the long-term

#2: Helping countries withstand the effects of an already-changing climate, while encouraging net-zero growth

🧵2/5

The urgency of increasing the flow of humanitarian aid into Syria right now cannot be overstated.

Thread below on recent developments, the scale of the need, and the path ahead ↓ (1/5) Despite the arrival of over 90 assistance trucks, the amount of humanitarian aid stockpiled in warehouses in Syria is diminishing to critically low levels and recent estimates put the # of people displaced by the earthquake at 350,000. (2/5)

Wheels up #wef23! Some impt results: The US committed $125m in new resources to help Ukraine withstand Putin's vicious energy infrastructure attacks. @USAID already sent 1,500+ generators; new support will help keep the lights on and heat flowing to homes, hospitals, schools.1/7 Catalyzed new private lending for climate by partnering w/Green Guarantee Co. With just $5 M from @USAID, GGC will unlock up to $2B in investment to help countries lower CO2 and adapt to climate change. Need businesses to act more urgently on climate—especially adaptation. 2/7

The U.S. has responded early & aggressively to try to stave off famine in Somalia. To continue meeting urgent needs, today we're providing an additional $411 million for the people of Somalia, bringing total U.S. assistance to ~$1.3 billion this year. (1/4) Today’s announcement comes as the Famine Review Committee released grim new findings for Somalia. While Famine thresholds haven't yet been reached, levels of hunger-related deaths & extreme suffering are staggering. (2/4) ipcinfo.org/fileadmin/user…

Amid much debate about where the U.S. stands on whether or not Ukraine should negotiate. In Air Force One press gaggle, National Security Advisor @JakeSullivan46 just gave detailed comments on @POTUS position. Highly recommend reading in full:

THREAD: The Black Sea grain deal could be forced to expire next month.

It is essential that this deal—which provides safe passage for Ukrainian food exports—be extended.

These exports are feeding people around the world amid an historic global food crisis. The deal unlocked millions of tons of desperately needed grain & other foods that would otherwise be stuck in Ukraine.

In two and a half months, over 350 ships have departed to some 36 countries.

Blocking the deal's extension, as Russia has threatened, would harm many people.

The potential for further widespread atrocities in Northern Ethiopia is alarming.

The staggering human cost of this conflict should shock the world's conscience—and the risk of additional atrocities & loss of life is intensifying, particularly around Shire in the Tigray region. Recent indiscriminate attacks by the Ethiopian National Defense Forces and Eritrean Defense Forces in Shire, and reports that Eritrean forces may soon take control of civilian population centers, are gravely concerning.

To protect civilians, this offensive must stop.

THREAD: After witnessing her inauguration as Colombia’s first Afro-Colombian Vice President, it was an honor to meet with @FranciaMarquezM to discuss how the US & Colombia can work together in the years ahead.

This historic VP's incredible story is one you'll want to know: (1/8) While VP Márquez's background & accomplishments are well-known in Colombia, her story can inspire many others—especially those questioning whether, amid massive challenges, one person really can make a difference.

@FranciaMarquezM shows why the answer is a resounding yes. (2/8)

This is a tweet thread on a horrific humanitarian situation that is not getting enough attention: the desperate conditions in territories that Russia has seized in Ukraine: (1/9) Putin is lying in Russia & globally in depicting Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine as “liberated.” The reality: Russian forces are willfully blocking vital aid from reaching millions of Ukrainians stuck behind Russian lines—exacerbating the suffering of the most vulnerable. (2/9)

Still absorbing the devastating news about Madeleine Albright, a remarkable public servant.

Albright joked that when she started out, a woman had to spill tea on a diplomat's lap to make her views felt on foreign policy. That changed in her life, with Albright at the forefront.

https://twitter.com/PowerUSAID/status/1506733083525103626

Albright delighted not just in championing women, but in bringing them together. Arriving at the @UN in 1993, she found herself one of seven female ambassadors—out of 183 countries. So she assembled what she called the G7 (the "Girl Seven") to lobby for advancing women's rights.

As 2M+ Ukrainians flee their country, the solidarity and generosity of their neighbors has been unprecedented. The unity of these frontline states—Moldova, Slovakia, Romania, Poland & Hungary—has taken Putin by surprise. Here’s how they’re helping: Moldova is the smallest country bordering Ukraine; but it has welcomed the most refugees per capita. Every 8th child in the country is a refugee. Says President @sandumaiamd, “We are their family until this madness ends.”

Putin’s war of choice is a nightmare for Ukrainians, who have been plunged into a severe humanitarian crisis. But this reckless and brutal war is also doing something that is less obvious: exacerbating global hunger. Here’s how: Ukraine was one of the world’s top wheat exporters, but Russia's unprovoked invasion has destroyed vital infrastructure & left Ukrainians struggling to feed themselves. In crisis itself, Ukraine can't supply wheat to millions of others at risk of hunger. bbc.com/news/business-…

I'm enormously sad to share the death of Valeriia "Lera" Maksetska—proud Ukrainian, beloved @USAID implementing partner & brilliant, compassionate leader on building social cohesion & fighting disinformation.

She was killed by the Russian military just shy of her 32nd birthday. Born & raised in Donetsk, Lera answered Russia's 2014 invasion by working on the humanitarian response. She survived the shelling of Donetsk, moved to Kyiv, and started working with USAID—where she became beloved as “a brave woman with a kind heart.”

A few observations about the just-concluded @UN General Assembly vote condemning Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The vote was 141-5. And the bottom line is that Vladimir Putin is more isolated than ever before (1/7): First, just note that Cuba and Venezuela did not support Russia at the @UN. When you’re Russia and you’ve lost Cuba and Venezuela…

Moving to visit the Um Rakuba camp in Eastern #Sudan, which hosts thousands of refugees who escaped conflict in #Tigray. I heard wrenching testimony from women refugees whose villages were raided by militia. Some saw loved ones executed, some were subjected to sexual assault, and nearly all crossed the border into #Sudan with nothing but the clothes on their backs.