According to Elephants Without Borders, an organization that conducts an elephant census for the Botswana government every four years, there has been a major increase in poaching in the region from previous years. In their 2014 census, the organization reported nine poached elephants. This year, while only halfway through the census, 87 dead have already been found.

The BUILD Act – which proposes a new International Development Finance Corporation (IDFC) that would double the financing authority of the existing Overseas Private Investment Corporation – passed in the House and out of committee in the Senate with broad bipartisan support. This is remarkable in today’s Washington and a step that has been widely applauded.  As we approach the finish line, the hard part lies ahead:  how do we ensure it is implemented well?  How can we ensure a newly empowered IDFC has the greatest development impact?  How do we promote strong coordination between the IDFC and other U.S. development agencies?

Ridding the world of modern slavery and human trafficking will require a coordinated and sustained global effort – an effort that has already attracted an unlikely cast of champions – from Republicans and Democrats in the House and Senate to West Wing advisors and Hollywood celebrities.

This week, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) announced that a deadly new outbreak of Ebola has spread to Mbandaka, a large city in the DRC with a population of over one million. As news of the outbreak spread, the White House announced its intention to rescind approximately $252 million in U.S. funding for the fight against Ebola.

Recognizing how difficult it can be to predict epidemics, the World Health Organization recently declared that the unknown “Disease X” is likely the most deadly infectious disease facing the public today. Considering that it takes just 36 hours for deadly pathogens to spread anywhere in the world, “Disease X” could prove even more devastating than the recent Ebola and Zika outbreaks.

There is good news in Congress this week – Republicans and Democrats have come together, once again, to strengthen the impact of American food aid around the world with the introduction of a new bill by Senators Bob Corker (R-TN) and Chris Coons (D-DE) and Representatives Ed Royce (R-CA) and Earl Blumenauer (D-OR).

Today marks the tenth Annual Letter from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, a landmark anniversary for such an influential voice in the development community. And this year’s Letter takes a slightly different tact, with Bill and Melinda Gates answering the “10 Tough Questions” they are most often asked about their work and their foundation. To commemorate a decade of notes, here are three top takeaways on global aid.

With time running out for Congress to meet a midnight funding deadline, the possibility of a government shutdown looms large. And though many in Washington are holding out hope for a last-minute deal to keep the government open, it’s worth taking a look at how a shutdown would impact America’s diplomatic and development programs overseas.

With mounting challenges overseas– from the world’s worst humanitarian crisis since World War II, to devastating famines, to tension with North Korea – this year has shown us that American global leadership is more important now than ever before. And as the year draws to a close, we’ve rounded up our top ten blogs of 2017 – the inspiring stories of U.S. foreign assistance, it’s impact around the world and here at home.

2017 brought a steady stream of challenges and changes to U.S. foreign policy and development assistance – from a new Administration taking the reins, to a budget proposal that sent shockwaves through Washington, to a steady drumbeat of support for American global leadership. We’ve gathered 12 of the top stories from the past year – one from each month – that you won’t want to miss.