WASHINGTON - March 17 - CARE, a long-time implementer of U.S.-funded foreign assistance, joined 140 influential organizations and individuals in calling on the president and Congress to elevate global development as a national priority and modernize our foreign assistance tools. ''We believe that development is as important to U.S. foreign policy as defense and diplomacy,'' said Helene Gayle, president and CEO of CARE. ''The United States must reform and reinvigorate our assistance efforts in order to make more strategic, sustainable and effective contributions to the fight against global poverty.''

In an open letter to President Barack Obama and congressional leaders published in today's Politico, the Modernizing Foreign Assistance Network (MFAN) states, ''Poverty breeds instability in many countries, which then creates fertile environments for extremism and terrorism. In other countries, governments are striving to fight poverty and establish democracies, but face daunting challenges.''

As a member of MFAN, CARE believes as the letter states, ''America's global leadership in tackling these challenges is more important than ever - for our own national security, for our economic prosperity, for the stability of our allies and for the well-being of those around the world who struggle to lift themselves up out of poverty.''

MFAN is a broad-based coalition advocating for the elevation of development and foreign assistance modernization. It's comprised of an unprecedented network of organizations and individuals representing the international development community, foreign policy experts, concerned citizens and private sector companies.