In July, a graduate of the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs was appointed president of the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA). Margaret Biggs, MA/81, provides the minister for international cooperation with expert support and advice, making recommendations on policy and program decisions and management issues.
Prior to her appointment, Biggs was a deputy secretary to cabinet in the Privy Council Office. She spent nearly a decade in senior roles with Human Resources Development Canada.
CIDA’s mandate is to support sustainable development in developing countries in order to reduce poverty and contribute to a more secure, equitable and prosperous world. In September, Biggs led the Canadian delegation to Accra, Ghana, for the Third High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness. The more than 100 donor and partner countries and civil society organizations represented there agreed on concrete steps to reform the way aid is delivered, and step up progress on implementing the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness, an agreement to harmonize, align and manage aid for results with a set of monitorable actions and indicators.
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