Preface In accordance with the Government Performance and Results Act of 1993, the Department of State and Agency for International Development (USAID) Strategic Plan for Fiscal Years 2004 to 2009 sets forth the Secretary of State’s direction and priorities for both organizations in the coming years. The Strategic Plan supports the policy positions set forth by President Bush in the National Security Strategy and presents how the Department of State and USAID will implement U.S. foreign policy and development assistance. In the Strategic Plan, the Mission section defines the primary aims of U.S. foreign policy and development assistance as well as our priorities in the coming years. The remainder of the Strategic Plan provides an overview of our four strategic objectives and describes the key perspectives and outlooks for each associated goal. In addition, for each goal we identify key U.S. Government partners and external factors that could affect achievement of these goals. The strategic objectives and goals constitute the strategic planning framework for both agencies. This framework will serve as the basis for both organizations’ annual performance plans at the Department, Bureau, and Mission levels. The annual plans will focus more specifically on our efforts to meet tangible performance goals and will contain specific performance indicators. Our success in meeting our performance goals will indicate our overall progress in achieving the mission and strategic objectives set forward in this Strategic Plan. DEPARTMENT OF STATE / USAID PUBLICATION 11084 Released August 2003