A MESSAGE FROM THE ACTING DIRECTOR OF THE PEACE CORPS On behalf of staf serving around the world, I am honored to present the Peace Corps Agency Financial Report for FY 2021. This report outlines the agency’s fnancial information, enabling the President, Congress, and the public to evaluate our fscal responsibility and performance during this year. The Peace Corps was established in 1961 by then-President John F. Kennedy with a mission to promote world peace and friendship. Since that time, and only following the invitation of host governments, more than 241,000 Volunteers have served in 143 countries, working alongside community partners on locally prioritized projects. Sixty years after its creation and amid a global pandemic that has exposed many deepening divides and inequalities around the world and here in the United States, the mission of the Peace Corps remains as critical as ever. In partnership with community members, Peace Corps Volunteers catalyze grassroots development with lasting and measurable impacts in the areas of agriculture, education, environment, health, community economic development, youth in development, and beyond. With intercultural competence and humility, our Volunteers immerse themselves in cultures abroad and collaborate with community members equally dedicated to service in order to tackle the shared challenges of our time. Together, they carry out the Peace Corps’ mission and the three goals of the agency: •
To help the people of interested countries in meeting their need for trained men and women;
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To help promote a better understanding of Americans on the part of the peoples served; and
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To help promote a better understanding of other peoples on the part of Americans.
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While the mission and goals have remained the same for the past 60 years, the Peace Corps has evolved to include more dynamic programming and multiple pathways to service, facilitating more inclusive and equitable opportunities to volunteer. This year, in particular, we have adapted to meet this historic moment and to address the compounding shocks to existing systems and the many emerging challenges attributable to the global pandemic. Our eforts include ongoing work to return Volunteers to service overseas; the launch of a robust Virtual Service Pilot (VSP); the second domestic deployment in our agency’s history; the development of an ambitious FY 2022-2026 Strategic Plan; staf contributions to advance our mission; and the modernization and standardization of our systems.
Annual Updates, Highlights, and Areas of Focus Preparing for the Return of Volunteers Overseas: During these unprecedented times, all Peace Corps posts have remained operational, countries from which Volunteers were evacuated have requested the return of Volunteers when conditions allow, and new countries have requested Peace Corps support. During the year, we continuously evaluated each post based on country-specifc medical, security, programmatic, administrative, and logistical criteria designed to determine when Volunteers can safely return to service. This service will be diferent from the past, with specifc COVID-19 protocols in place that will evolve based on the conditions at each post. Volunteers will be required to understand and accept the risks associated with volunteering in a pandemic and to comply with agency standards for mitigating these risks, wherever possible. Once at post, Volunteers will focus on supporting COVID-19 response and recovery eforts. These eforts will be integrated across the Peace Corps’ six sectors, as most appropriate to the context.
THE PEACE CORPS FY 2021 AGENCY FINANCIAL REPORT
