:ies, and at the same time, helping farmers to increase yields and 

 the diversity of their economic activities. 



Second, on the issue of more cohesion in identifying problems 

 and in the planning process, we have invested a major effort, in- 

 cluding staff resources, in trying to create a realistic and sound en- 

 vironmental policy and planning framework throughout Africa, a 

 framework that Africans, scientists, bureaucrats, donors and 

 NGO's can all use. The principle vehicle for this has been the Na- 

 tional Environmental Action Plan. We support this process. In 

 countries like Rwanda, Madagascar and Uganda, the National Ac- 

 tion Plans have been the vehicle for organizing and focusing major 

 donor support in the environment and natural resource sectors. 

 Our USAID missions have provided advice and knowledge to inter- 

 national teams, and conversely, the National Action Plan process 

 has helped link USAID programs more closely with those of other 

 donors. 



Finally, the role of NGO's. In preparing our environmental strat- 

 egies for Africa and in carrying out our programs, USAID relies 

 heavily on NGO's and private voluntary organizations, inter- 

 national, United States and local. We have a strong partnership 

 with such groups as World Wildlife Fund, African Wildlife Founda- 

 tion, Conservation International, CARE, AFRICARE and the Wild- 

 life Conservation Society. For the past several years, these organi- 

 zations have had an influential role in the formulation of strategies 

 for the Africa Bureau, as well as specific country strategies related 

 to sustainable agriculture, and the conservation and preservation 

 of biodiversity. 



In addition, NGO's are the primary instrument through which 

 local groups are empowered to participate in the programs we sup- 

 port. This partnership between USAID and the NGO's is a model 

 which we should use in building similar close relationships with 

 NGO's working in other sectors. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. 



[The prepared statement of Mr. Cobb appears in the appendix.] 



Mr. GEJDENSON. Thank you. Mr. Johnston, do you have an open- 

 ing statement you want to put in the record? 



Mr. Johnston. I will just put it in the record. 



[The prepared statement of Mr. Johnston appears in the appen- 

 dix.] 



Mr. GEJDENSON. Thank you. Let me ask a couple of quick ques- 

 tions and maybe we can get through the questioning before we 

 have to go vote. 



In Massachusetts, if you want to build a factory or a generating 

 facility you have two options: you can try to get rid of 100 percent 

 of the pollution that is coming out of the smokestack, you know, 

 usually two-tenths of a percent or 2 percent is where 90 percent 

 of the money goes; or you can then find worldwide someplace for 

 the same amount of money to get more bang for your buck. So, if 

 you are building a power-generating facility that burns fuel oil and 

 you can get 98 percent of the pollutants out of it, and then you pro- 

 vide financing either for setting up a preserve somewhere, or buy- 

 ing a piece of the rain forest and r rotecting it, the associated clean- 

 up that occurs worldwide, if it is enough, will get you off the hook 

 on the last 2 percent. 



