مؤسسة تحدي الألفية
مؤسسة تحدي الألفية (MCC) is a bilateral United States foreign aid agency established by الكونغرس الأمريكي in 2004, applying a new philosophy toward foreign aid. It is an independent agency, separate from the وزارة الخارجية الأمريكية or الوكالة الأمريكية للتنمية الدولية.
في اجتماع "بنك التنمية للدول الأمريكية الذي عقد يوم 14 آذار (مارس) عام 2002، دعا الرئيس جورج دبليو بوش إلى ميثاق جديد خاص بالتنمية تساهم فيه كل من الدول الغنية والفقيرة. وتعهد بزيادة المساعدة الإنمائية بنسبة 50٪ بحلول السنة المالية 2006؛ ويشار هنا إلى أن قيمة هذه المساعدات قد تضاعفت في نهاية عام 2004، كما تضاعفت مرة أخرى عام 2010) كانت هناك بعض الشكوك حول الأهداف المختلفة والمتضاربة أحياناً لبعض برامج التنمية الأخرى مثل الوكالة الأمريكية للتنمية الدولية (USAID)، ويعود سبب ذلك غالباً إلى الضغوط السياسية، وعدم تقديم تحسينات اقتصادية طويلة الأجل 
منحت مؤسسة تحدي الألفية إذناً عام 2004، بدعم من الحزب الجمهوري والحزب الديمقراطي مع الأخذ في اعتبارهم فرضية تعارض الأهداف. أما المبادئ التوجيهية لهذه المؤسسة فهي:أول مدير تنفيذي لمؤسسة تحدي الألفية كان السيد "بول أبلغارث"، وهو رجل أعمال في القطاع الخاص، ذو خبرة في إدارة صناديق الاستثمار في الأسواق الناشئة. وقد أعقبه جون دانيلوفيتش، وهو رجل أعمال في القطاع الخاص، شغل منصب سفير الولايات المتحدة لدى كوستاريكا في الفترة 2001-2004 ثم سفير الولايات المتحدة لدى البرازيل. في 20 نوفمبر 2009، صادق مجلس الشيوخ على تعيين رجل الأعمال دانيال جورج يوهانيس، وهو أمريكي من أصل أثيوبي مديراً جديداً للمؤسسة.
يتكون مجلس إدارة المؤسسة من ممثلين، منهم المدير التنفيذي لمؤسسة تحدي الألفية، ووزيرة الخارجية الأمريكية وهي رئيس المجلس، ووزير الخزانة وهو نائب الرئيس، ومدير الوكالة الأمريكية للتنمية الدولية، والممثل التجاري للولايات المتحدة وغيرهم من القطاع الخاص أو الهيئات ذات الصلة بالتنمية.
A country is considered eligible for a compact (aid grant) if its score on 17 indicators exceeds the median score of its peer group. All 17 indicators are compiled by third parties with no connection to MCC; MCC grants are made without politics entering the equation. This is perhaps the most innovative aspect of MCC, as previous foreign aid missions were plagued by political considerations. The focus of the MCC is to promote نمو اقتصادي in the recipient countries. The program emphasizes good economic policies in recipient countries. The Bush administration has stated its belief that development aid works better in countries with good economic policies, such as سوق حر and low فساد سياسي.
The indicators are:
These are only criteria for eligibility. An eligible country must apply for a grant with a specific project in mind. The criteria has been updated as of 2012.
MCC signs either a compact or a threshold agreement with a partner country. A compact is awarded if the country scores highly on the selection criteria indicators. If the country scores poorly but has a positive, upward trend on the selection criteria, it can still be eligible for a smaller grant, called a threshold program.
MCC requires that each partner government creates a special purpose legal entity that will be accountable for implementing the compact program.
In the first year (2004), 17 countries were made eligible for an MCC grant: أرمينيا, بنين, بوليفيا, الرأس الأخضر, السلفادور, جورجيا, غانا, هندوراس, ليسوتو, مدغشقر, مالي, منغوليا, المغرب, موزمبيق, نيكاراغوا, السنغال, سريلانكا, and فانواتو. Madagascar and Honduras were the first countries to receive actual funding from the MCA. On June 16, 2006, غامبيا was suspended from eligibility, citing deterioration in 8 of the 16 criteria categories. مالي was approved in October 2006 for a $461 million program to develop modern irrigation systems and an industrial park. الأردن was granted full compact eligibility, despite objections from Freedom House for its lack of full political and civil rights. MPs in أوغندا from the opposition party hailed their country's rejection from full compact status, demanding instead a stronger effort in stopping the corruption that disqualified their country. In June 2007, MCA eligible countries in Africa held a meeting in أكرا to discuss their experiences in the program. The country of مالاوي qualified for a full compact in 2007, while موريتانيا became threshold eligible.
Several countries were chosen in 2004 for a new part of the program called Threshold Program Assistance, which are smaller compacts used to assist a country close to meeting account eligibility to become eligible for a full program. الأردن received a Threshold program aimed at democracy and trade totaling $25 million. اليمن was previously eligible for a threshold agreement, but was suspended after their indicators fell too low to qualify. But having successfully competed a democratic election and various economic reforms, the Millennium Challenge Corporation has once again made Yemen eligible for a threshold agreement. On December 12, 2007, the MCC Board selected مالاوي for a compact and موريتانيا for a threshold agreement, as well as allowing ألبانيا, باراغواي, and زامبيا to submit a first ever second stage threshold agreement. In 2007 the American ambassador to سوازيلاند highlighted the progress on the MCC indicators over the last few years and encouraged the country to work toward eligibility.
A full listing of MCC partner countries can be found at http://www.mcc.gov/pages/countries. MCC's portfolio focuses mostly on African nations.
الكونغرس الأمريكي has consistently provided less funding for the program than the president has requested. In سنة مالية 2004, US$650 million were provided for the program, with an increase up to $1.5 billion the next year. For fiscal year 2007, $2 billion were provided, a 14% increase over the previous year but still under the $3 billion target. Again for fiscal year 2008, less funding will be provided than was hoped for, and only $1.2 billion was budgeted; the CEO of the MCC commented that it would undercut the program's efforts. Congress declined to re-authorize the program, which technically was not needed since the program had been authorized already, but also since there was argument over the authorization language. In discussions of the FY 2009 budget, the United States Senate proposed that only half of the money needed for a compact be provided up front, as opposed to full funding for each one provident in advance, which officials at the corporation insist would be a "large step backward" causing too little aid to make an impact on recipient countries. Senator Richard Lugar, the author of the amendment, responded that more "realistic" funding levels allowed for more compacts, thus spreading the "MCC effect".
The amendment did not make it into the final bill. President Bush's FY 2008 budget requested $2.225 billion, the first time since the program's inception that the amount was not $3 billion, and enough money for five compacts, several threshold agreements and administrative funding.
Studies by groups such as the conservative Heritage Foundation in the United States have shown that many developing countries that have received foreign aid have seen their per capita income fall or stagnate over the last 40 years. The Heritage Foundation has consistently supported the MCC's approach, which has used their trade measure from the مؤشر الحرية الاقتصادية. In April 2005, the United States Government Accountability Office issued a favorable report about the work of the MCC and its work thus far. The Program Assessment Rating Tool, or PART, which reviews the efficiency and results produced by US government programs, was scheduled to be reviewed in 2007. A study in 2006 looking at the "MCC effect" estimated that potential recipient countries improved 25% more on MCA's criteria than other countries, after controlling for time-trends. The World Policy Council, headed by Ambassador Horace Dawson and مجلس الشيوخ الأمريكي إدوارد بروك, recognizes the MCC as the most recent and most promising program in its area, and recommended that the Bush administration and the Congressional Black Caucus focus on full funding and an accelerated pace of spending. "Doing Business 2007" cited the Millennium Challenge Accounts as a catalyst for reforms underway in 13 countries. Also, بيت الحرية, an organization that monitors the level of freedom in the world, released subcategories for the first time since it was being used as part of the MCC's measurements to allow for finer distinctions in their ratings. Also, the number of days it takes to start a business in low and low-middle income countries has decreased significantly since 2002, which is one of the factors the accounts measure since rapid business registration is thought to increase economic activity.
Some critics have charged that the program uses indicators by conservative groups such as the Heritage Foundation and is therefore biased toward free market economics and reimposing American imperialism on the Global South. The program is said to have resulted in countries receiving less funding from other US government development organizations and not more. Some development agencies have felt frozen out of the process since the compact programs are designed primarily by the country involved. Implementation has been difficult in Armenia, and concern about its effectiveness has been expressed.