Transition Initiatives
The USAID Office of Transition Initiatives supports U.S. foreign policy objectives by helping local partners advance peace and democracy in priority countries in crisis. Seizing critical windows of opportunity, OTI works on the ground to provide fast, flexible, short-term assistance targeted at key political transition and stabilization needs.
Since 1994, OTI, part of USAID’s Bureau for Democracy, Conflict, and Humanitarian Assistance, has laid the foundation for long-term development in thirty-one conflict-prone countries by promoting reconciliation, jumpstarting local economies, supporting nascent independent media, and fostering peace and democracy through innovative programming. In countries undergoing a transition from authoritarianism to democracy, violent conflict to peace, or pivotal political events, initiatives serve as catalysts for positive political change. OTI programs are short-term -- typically, two to three years in duration. OTI works closely with regional bureaus, missions and other counterparts to identify programs that complement other assistance efforts and lay a foundation for longer-term development. OTI programs often are initiated in fragile states that have not reached the stability needed to initiate longer-term development programs. OTI strategies and programs are developed and designed to meet the unique needs of each situation.
Recent Highlights and Successes
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Lebanon - Shooting Hoops for Peaceful Coexistence - December 2009
GAM3, a nonprofit working to empower Lebanese youth and in partnership with OTI, recruited more than 500 participants from conflict-affected Beirut suburbs to receive basketball coaching combined with conflict resolution training. The group then organized tournaments that eschewed the normal political overtones.
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Uganda - Using Drama to Support Northern Uganda's Recovery - December 2009
To increase awareness of the Government of Uganda's Peace, Recovery, and Development Plan, OTI supported a local NGO that worked with local artists to develop a series of dramatic radio shows. The shows, some of which were revised for the stage, were well received by northern Ugandans who were able to identify with the challenges and issues portrayed.
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Sudan - Workshops Set Stage for Intertribal Reconciliation - December 2009
In an effort to increase the chances that a reconciliation conference between the Misseriya and Rizeigat tribes would come to a successful conclusion, OTI supported intra-tribal preparatory workshops that helped consolidate the tribes' positions.
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For media inquiries, please contact the Bureau of Legislative and Public Affairs at 202-712-4320 or USAIDPressOfficers@usaid.gov.
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