Vice President, Department of Compact Operations, MCC
Millennium Challenge Corporation

Fatema Sumar

Vice President, Department of Compact Operations, MCC

The Vice President of Compact Operations overseas all compacts, the main vehicle of the MCC’s financing for developing nations.

Fatema Sumar has been appointed to be Vice President of Compact Operations at the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC).

Sumar rejoins the MCC after having previously worked there as a Regional Deputy Vice President from 2015 – 2018. Prior to this, Sumar was a Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs from 2013 – 2015 and was a staffer for the Senate Foreign Relations Committee from 2009 – 2013.

Past statements on development, diplomacy, and U.S. global leadership:

On U.S. Global Leadership: At a Council on Foreign Relations event about religion and foreign policy, Sumar elevated the need for “U.S. leadership in the WHO,” in particular, she said “to make sure that we are partnering, we are bringing in religious communities, faith-based communities on day one, the new Biden administration is going to be really key and important.” (source)

On Development: In a 2018 article on addressing root causes in Central America, Sumar said, “U.S. policies in particular should be rights-based, support anti-corruption efforts that help the poor, focus on community-based violence prevention strategies, advance sustainable rural development, and access to justice, and fight sexual and gender-based violence.” (source)

On Foreign Assistance: Speaking to the Central American Migration Crisis in 2018, Sumar said, “Our country’s foreign assistance in Central America should be rights-based, support anti-corruption efforts and focus on community-based violence prevention strategies. We can help strengthen the internal economy by providing credit and technical support to rural producers for local markets, invest in education programs providing youth and women the technical skills they need to thrive, and build the resiliency skills of men and women to be able to respond to climate catastrophes.” (source)

On COVID-19: In CFR event, Sumar said, “What’s really remarkable about this moment is that we have the power to decide how we want to really push an equitable distribution system as a vaccine, here in the United States and all around the world. And the choices we make literally today and tomorrow will really affect the future of our world, and the future of our economy, our health, our political, and our security all around the world.” (source)

On Millennium Challenge Corporation: Heralding the Millennium Challenge Corporation as “a unique gem” in a 2018 article for The Hill, Sumar wrote, “MCC delivers foreign assistance under the premise that aid is most effective when it rewards countries for good governance, economic freedom and investments in people.” (source)

On China: In a 2018 New Republic article, Sumar said, “China’s rise alarms many American policymakers. But instead of the zero-sum game destabilizing markets right now, the U.S. could be reasserting its leadership in a more productive way: by focusing on the growth and developments needs of China’s neighbors.” (source)