USAID/OTI Venezuela Quarterly Report
|
|
April - June 2009 |
Printer Friendly (113kb - pdf) |
Program Description
In August 2002, USAID initiated a program in Venezuela to provide assistance to maintain democratic stability and strengthen the country's fragile democratic institutions. The program operates out of the U.S. Embassy and is part of a larger U.S. diplomatic effort to promote democracy in Venezuela.
The specific objectives of the Venezuela program are to enhance access to objective information and peaceful debate on key issues, provide support to democratic institutions, and promote citizen participation and democratic leadership. USAID works with several implementing partners drawn from the spectrum of civil society focusing on dialogue, public debate, citizen participation and training for democratic leadership, offering technical assistance for political parties and providing technical support to human rights practitioners and the supporting civil society.
Activities
Enhance Access to Objective Information and Peaceful Debate – OTI supports the promotion of political debate among students to raise the level of discourse on some of the most important issues for Venezuelans. OTI also works with local partners to strengthen new media tools that can improve access to information and allow open and productive debate on the Internet.
Provide Support to Democratic Institutions – OTI works through civil society and offers technical assistance to all political parties to support democratic systems. Partners use materials and technical expertise to provide objective and tested support to improve the effectiveness and responsiveness of local governments, political parties, and systems to help local governments and citizen groups exchange ideas.
Promote Citizen Participation and Democratic Leadership – Lastly, recognizing that strong democratic institutions and access to objective information are nothing without citizen involvement and strong leaders, OTI supports citizen participation in local and national policymaking, often with involvement and guidance from community and locally elected leaders. OTI supports community leaders and local organizations to improve their access to locally elected officials and to increase their ability to provide input into participatory budgeting and policy discussions. This process results in strengthened leadership, as communities increasingly recognize that they have a productive role to play and as oversight of elected offices is improved.
Country Situation
Current Developments – Between April and June 2009, the political environment in Venezuela revolved around three issues: centralization of democratic institutions, increased state control over previously independent segments of civil society, and increased diplomatic activity with the United States and the rest of the region, particularly with regard to the eventual ousting of President Manuel Zelaya by the Honduran military.
Centralized Democratic Systems – One of the most significant political events during the quarter was the passage of the Capital District Law, which transformed Caracas from a municipal to a national entity. Under the law, President Hugo Chavez appointed a chief of government to preside over recently elected Mayor Antonio Ledezma, a leading opposition figure. The law effectively stripped Ledezma of much of the power normally provided to a mayor, such as control over police, roads, hospitals, and other city services. The law also cut central government funding to the metropolitan district by 57 percent. Other opposition leaders who were victorious in the November 2008 elections continued to lose political and fiscal powers. Furthermore, another law before Congress would allow the president to appoint regional "vice presidents" to oversee the governors. Congressman Oswaldo Vera, a Chavez ally, said the creation of regional vice president positions is needed to redirect development away from cities toward sparsely populated areas of the country. Opponents and independent analysts characterize these arguments as excuses that support Chavez's efforts to consolidate power.
State Consolidation of Media and Private Industry – President Chavez urged authorities to impose sanctions on Venezuelan television networks that allegedly backed a military rebellion that briefly ousted him seven years ago. Chavez has long accused Venezuela's major TV channels—Venevision, Globovisión, RCTV, and Televen—of supporting the short-lived 2002 coup by broadcasting cartoons and movies instead of the street protests that aided his return to power two days after the uprising. Additionally, Globovisión, a cable station critical of the current government, has been accused of inciting panic by covering a May 4 earthquake before authorities had released an official report. In addition, the National Telecommunications Commission (Conatel) announced that it will take 240 private radio stations (154 FM and 86 AM) off the air and shift them into government hands. The Venezuelan Chamber of the Broadcast Industry estimated that the move will affect nearly 40 percent of Venezuela's radio stations and described the decision as a "direct attack on the freedom of expression." In a press release, the Chamber said that its members have fulfilled procedures requested by Conatel since 2000 and fully respect the Organic Law on Telecommunications.
Diplomacy with the United States – At the Summit of the Americas in Trinidad in April, President Chavez expressed hopes to "reset" relations with the United States after nearly a decade of tension between Caracas and Washington. In June, Venezuela and the United States announced that they will restore their ambassadors more than nine months after President Chavez expelled the U.S. envoy in his final diplomatic bout with the Bush administration. But Chavez signaled he still has major differences with Washington, accusing the United States of having a hand in recent protests in Iran as well as playing a role in the recent military coup that ousted Honduran President Zelaya.
Upcoming Events
Municipal Council and National Assembly elections are anticipated in 2009 and 2010. An election for mayor of Maracaibo, which is necessary because former mayor Manuel Rosales went into exile following allegations of corruption levied by President Chavez, and other local elections are slated for later in 2009. While it is unclear when the elections will take place, national elections often distract from other initiatives and will likely impact OTI activities.
Grants Summary
Since August 2002, OTI, through its implementing partner, has funded 533 small-grant and technical assistance activities totaling $16,381,577. Funding by sector breaks down as follows: democratic leadership (4%); poverty alleviation (8%); support for peaceful debate (32%); human rights (4%); civic education (12%); promotion and defense of the vote (23%); and support to democratic institutions (17%).
Program Appraisal
This quarter the program has strived to take recent lessons learned and implement them going forward. Efforts have been made to focus debate on issues that are relevant to average Venezuelans and to work with willing partners in making government more responsive and accountable.
Reports and public activities by grantees were successful in distributing information about areas critical to a functioning democracy, including free and fair elections, human rights, and other important social issues. These activities show the successful work of building the capacity of civil society organizations to play a meaningful role in Venezuelan society.
The Venezuela program is like USAID programs in other countries in the Western hemisphere and around the world as the overarching goal is to seek to strengthen democracy and its supporting institutions. The program in Venezuela is designed to strengthen civil society and political parties, the key components to a healthy democracy and the channels through which citizens often express their desires, needs, and concerns as well as find ways to collectively address them.
Threats against program counterparts, who fear for their well-being and ability to operate and help build a strong and independent civil society, continue. USAID will continue to monitor these threats. Physical threats against human rights defenders have continued unabated throughout the quarter.
Next Steps
OTI priorities for the next quarter include the following:
- Continue to implement grants with local partners that promote citizen participation and democratic leadership and enhance information and peaceful debate;
- Continue to support human rights defenders as they improve their ability to research, report on, and present cases of human rights abuses; and
- Maintain responsiveness to constantly changing dynamics in Venezuela and provide needed support to Venezuelans struggling to maintain a strong, independent civil society.
For further information, please contact:
In Washington, D.C.: Russell Porter, LAC Team Leader, 202-712-5455, rporter@usaid.gov.
|
