The U.S. has been a global leader in researching, treating and combating infectious diseases around the globe. Today, in honor of World Health Day, let’s look back at some of America’s global health success stories, including the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and the President’s Malaria Initiative (PMI).

World Vision, an international faith-based humanitarian organization, has been building on its initial success with USAID-funded water programs in Ghana in the 1980s. These projects now form the model for its newest partnership with Kohler, which focuses on the development of a ceramic filtration system that can be worn on the back for easy carrying, and doesn’t need electricity, since it works solely based on gravity.

This week – with International Women’s Day on Tuesday – two of America’s First Ladies made the case that elevating girls’ education is a strategic investment. Former first lady Laura Bush spoke out on the need to sustain our development assistance efforts to educate Afghan women and girls, while First Lady Michelle Obama emphasized how education can help lift women and girls out of poverty as she announced the expansion of Let Girls Learn initiative.

Catherine Samba-Panza, interim president of the Central African Republic (CAR), was in Washington last week asking for help for her country and her people. CAR was considered a “Level Three” humanitarian crisis – the United Nations’ highest designation – until May of last year due to years of inter-religious violence that killed thousands and displaced roughly 1 million people, about one-fifth of the country’s population. It is in America’s interest to invest in long-term stability and resilience by helping CAR address the underlying causes of the conflict.

Bill and Melinda Gates recently released their annual letter, which outlines the Gates Foundation’s philanthropic goals. This year, Melinda Gates tackled the topic of unpaid labor: tasks like fetching water, preparing meals, caring for children—things that need to be done, but that don’t pay. She noted that the majority of unpaid work across the world is disproportionately placed on women, and that the poor are the most heavily impacted by the imbalance.

As Congress prepares its blueprint for the International Affairs Budget for next year, the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) released a five-year strategic plan that highlights the “single mission” that inspired its creation: reducing poverty through economic growth. The plan points a way forward for MCC amid unprecedented global crises and tremendous opportunities.

A humanitarian crisis is brewing in East Africa, where Ethiopia is currently facing its worst drought in 50 years. Over ten million people are in need of emergency food assistance, including more than six million children, according to Save the Children. If the world does not respond in a timely fashion, the drought in Ethiopia could turn into famine and foster political destabilization, reversing years of economic and development gains.

On February 9, President Obama submitted his FY 2017 budget request to Congress. The proposed international affairs budget is down 1 percent from current funding levels and 12 percent (in constant dollars) since 2010, better than many domestic accounts. In addition, outside the regular budget, the administration is proposing $1.8 billion ($376 million from the international affairs budget account) to meet the latest pandemic — the Zika virus. Given the budget environment, the proposed amounts for the international affairs budget seem reasonable.

In the 1980s and 1990s, Colombia was on the brink of collapse and the U.S. grappled with the threat of a major drug war spilling over its southern borders. But over the past decade, the economy has grown at an average of 4.3 percent, and unemployment and poverty are at historic lows. The country’s homicide rate has been cut in half, kidnappings have declined by 90 percent, and in a little over a month, the Colombian government is expected to sign a peace agreement with the rebel movement known as the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), ending the longest civil war in Latin America. How did we get here?

With all eyes on New Hampshire today and the 2016 presidential horserace, it’s pretty easy to miss a relatively wonky, but actually important moment in Washington: the kickoff to the budget season with the Administration’s release of its proposal to Congress. The good news is that the two-year budget deal reached by Congress and the Administration last November spared international affairs programs from dangerous cuts from sequestration. Here are my 6 key takeaways on what the budget proposal means for America’s global leadership.