Good Governance

Honduras’s public institutions are centralized and have serious corruption and efficacy problems. Local governments are the first line of response to citizens’ needs in many areas, and the Honduran government has made decentralization (the transfer of responsibility and resources from the central government to the local governments) one of its top priorities. USAID helps local governments become more responsive and accountable to citizens. It also encourages citizens to participate in local decision-making, stake a claim in their country’s democratic and economic development, and share responsibility for the results.

USAID supports transparency and anticorruption activities with national oversight institutions, including the Supreme Audit Institution, to strengthen internal control mechanisms and increase community watchdog activities. In order to achieve these goals, USAID supports full implementation of the Transparency Law, which includes full access to public information. We also help improve municipal capacity to manage and report on the use of public funds and strengthen the Supreme Audit Institution’s ability to audit donor and municipal funds.

USAID helps municipalities provide basic services efficiently and transparently through the promotion of: open access to municipal budgets, open council meetings, public discussion of priorities, and public decision-making processes. Through these mechanisms, citizens are engaged, actively participate in local problem solving, and monitor the use of resources at the local level.