President-elect Joe Biden announced on Wednesday that he will nominate Samantha Power, the former US ambassador to the United Nations, to lead the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), citing her background as a crisis-tested public servant and diplomat.

In a statement, Biden described Power, 50, as “a world-renowned voice of conscience and moral clarity — challenging and rallying the international community to stand up for the dignity and humanity of all people.”

If confirmed, Power will oversee the US agency tasked with distributing billions in humanitarian assistance each year. After four years of an aid-skeptic administration that routinely sought to cut development dollars, the Biden administration is expected to view US assistance abroad as an important tool for advancing its foreign policy.

Biden also announced he would be elevating the position of USAID administrator to permanent membership on the National Security Council, a move long advocated for by the aid community and a sign his administration will make development a priority along with diplomacy and defense.