Asia Bureau Strategic Communications Plan

The plan is based on Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's "America's Pacific Century" essay, which emphasizes the importance of a renewed focus on the Asia-Pacific region for the United States to sustain global leadership. The Asia region faces numerous challenges, including terrorism, instability, and conflict; poverty; a large population of unemployed youth; illiteracy, especially among women; a pandemic disease; corruption; trafficking in persons, narcotics, and wildlife; and environmental degradation. In response, USAID's Asia Bureau plans to focus on influencing thinkers and academics on how the agency is uniquely positioned to work in partnership with countries in Asia to address these challenges. The plan highlights USAID's role in critical global developments, including the US Government's rebalancing strategy on Asia, strengthening relationships with regional donors, encouraging public-private partnerships, engaging with China, and transforming the relationship with India. The Bureau also aims to leverage possible openings in the relationship with Burma. To achieve its objectives, the Asia Bureau has identified key audiences and opinion leaders, including think tanks, research organizations, advocacy groups, members of Congress and their staff, inter-agency partners, implementing partners, donors, and diaspora organizations. The Bureau plans to reach these audiences through various tactics, including quarterly outreach meetings, speaking engagements, proactive communication with the Hill, outreach to diaspora and community groups, and the creation and dissemination of easily sharable communications pieces. The plan also emphasizes the importance of accountability, with specific individuals responsible for the daily implementation of the strategy. The outreach team, led by Hope Bryer, Outreach Team Lead, will work to put the strategic plan into motion despite operational challenges. Measuring success will be based on several key achievements, including an increase in the distribution of the Asia newsletter, an increase in social media mentions, an increase in the number of visitors to the Asia Bureau's website, and a decrease in the bounce rate for the website.