Commonwealth Club Of California Podcast

Many of us did not know about USAID (U.S. Agency for International Development) until it came under scrutiny by the White House's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) in its recent cost-cutting efforts. USAID is—or was—the principal U.S. agency to extend assistance to countries recovering from disaster, trying to escape poverty, and engaging in democratic reforms.  While the constitutionality of DOGE's actions effectively curtailing USAID’s efforts work their way through the courts, we invite you to hear a personal perspective from someone whose work was primarily funded by USAID and who experienced first-hand the impact of USAID’s rule of law programs around the world during the past 30 years.  Mary Noel Pepys will provide an overview of her pro bono work in former communist countries, where she served as the rule of law liaison for the American Bar Association’s Central European and Eurasian Law Initiative. She will discuss the challenges of assisting nations in their transition from communism to de