Trump officials outline private-sector approach to foreign aid

Trump administration officials used a forum at the U.S. Mission to the United Nations in New York to promote a new development model centered on private investment, trade and American business rather than traditional taxpayerfunded aid. U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Mike Waltz said the administration is restructuring how aid works by shifting more responsibility to the State Department and encouraging companies such as JPMorgan, Goldman Sachs, Microsoft and Boeing to take part in growth projects abroad. Supporters of the approach said trade can help countries build jobs, industry and longterm selfreliance, while some development leaders cautioned that aid still matters in emergencies and fragile states where private capital may not be willing to invest. The initiative has backing from 46 countries and includes a digital library of capacitybuilding offers, though officials said it is still early and they want to see more concrete results.