Key Terms and Definitions
Implementing Partner
An Implementing Partner (IP) or “prime” partner is an entity that receives funding directly from,
and has a direct contractual relationship (contract, cooperative agreement, grant, etc.), with the
U.S. government. Not all organizations are partners: partners have a funding relationship with
the government and the government has selected them as either a prime or sub-grant recipient.
According to this definition, the government of another country can be considered an implementing
partner if it receives funding from the U.S. government. Implementing partners assume principal
oversight responsibility for their sub-partners. This includes selecting and issuing awards to subpartners, collecting programmatic and financial reporting, conducting site visits, and providing
technical assistance.2
High Burden (Stunting)
Countries3,4
These countries have the highest burden of undernutrition. In many high-burden countries,
malnutrition rates are much higher than would be expected given national income or economic
growth rates. Examples of such countries include India (which has shown sustained and robust
economic growth for more than a decade now but no significant reductions in malnutrition),
Guatemala, Angola, and Pakistan. The following are 36 high-burden countries which are home to 90
percent of the 170 million stunted children under 5 years of age in the world: Afghanistan, Angola,
Bangladesh, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of
the Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guatemala, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi,
Mali, Mozambique, Myanmar, Niger, Nigeria, Nepal, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, South Africa, Sudan,
United Republic of Tanzania, Turkey, Uganda, Vietnam, Yemen, Zambia.
Intervention
An intervention5 is an action purposely planned and designed to change a nutrition-related behavior
risk factor, an environmental condition, or an aspect of the health status of an individual, a target
group, or a population at large. If implemented at scale, an intervention could significantly reduce
the effects of maternal and child undernutrition. Effective interventions are available to reduce
underweight, stunting, micronutrient deficiencies, and child deaths.6 Nutrition interventions are
actions within larger nutrition programs.
Mission7
USAID’s overseas organizational units are known as field missions. The U.S. ambassador serves as
the chief of mission for all U.S. government agencies in a given country, so all USAID operations
fall under his or her authority. USAID missions operate under decentralized program authorities that
allow them to design and implement programs and to negotiate and execute agreements. USAID
bilateral country missions8 are established where there is a continuing U.S. assistance program;
the programs range from minor programs with a single focus to major programs with multiple
types of assistance over several sectors. Missions are categorized as small, medium, full, or full
support depending on the scope and complexity of their programs as well as their program and
staff levels. Responsibility for establishing a