I. Public Benefit
The United States recognizes the vital importance of democracy, human rights, and good governance to global security, prosperity, and freedom. Competitive political institutions, transparent democratic practices, and civic activism are strengthened when the rule of law and protection of universally-accepted standards of human rights are upheld. America's experience as a democracy affirms the Agency's conviction that all people can live and prosper in peace. Even in the worst moments, the United States has been guided by its commitment to freedom and self-government. The conclusion one draws from that commitment is that the survival of liberty at home is dependent on liberty in other lands.
Protecting human rights and promoting democracy is a cornerstone
of a U.S. foreign policy that seeks to end oppression, combat
terrorism, and advocate democratic ideals and freedoms worldwide.
President Bush's vision of a world where freedom reigns has
been clearly articulated throughout his tenure, but nowhere
more clearly than in his 2005 inaugural address: "It
is the policy of the United States to seek and support the
growth of democratic movements and institutions in every nation
and culture, with the ultimate goal of ending tyranny in our
world."
Institutionalizing democracy, human rights, and good governance is the focus of USAID programs in approximately 80 priority developing countries. With more than 400 democracy officers worldwide, USAID works on the frontlines of democracy promotion to encourage the transition to, and consolidation of, democracy throughout the world. These on-the-ground efforts emphasize the building of institutions and processes to ensure free, effective participation in national and local political processes. In those countries where USAID and the Department of State work together to implement these programs, the recipient countries have become more successful participants in the international community and better strategic and economic partners for the United States.
While the United States plays a leading role to promote democracy and human rights, the Department of State and USAID recognize that they are not uniquely American values. Democratization must ultimately be a process driven by a society's citizens. Toward that end, the Department of State and USAID work to ensure that democratic reforms reflect a representative political process.
II. Resources Invested
III. Selected Performance Trends
IV. Illustrative Example of Significant Achievement
Democratic decentralization and citizen participation encourages
local communities to plan and manage their own access to basic services.
Photo:
USAID/Gabriella Chinchilla
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Democratic Decentralization and Citizen Participation
USAID democracy programs in Bolivia have increased women's participation
in municipal and budget meetings, as part of a large effort
to improve participation at the local level. Democratic Decentralization
and Citizen Participation (DDCP) promotes gender and indigenous
equity through an innovative, integrated model of participatory
municipal management. The team supports women's participation
by working with community leaders, non-governmental organizations
(NGO), and women's groups to encourage women not only to attend
planning meetings, but also to communicate their demands during
these meetings, as citizens with the same rights as men. In
addition to integrating gender as a cross-cutting technical
area, DDCP has developed a gender strategy that includes three
primary areas of activities to increase the quality and equity
of women's participation in municipal governance: direct training
of women candidates and elected municipal officials to increase
their capacity to serve as elected officials; technical assistance
to Bolivian NGOs to strengthen the laws against gender-based
violence in the political arena; and compliance with the Law
of Equitable Inclusion of men and women on municipal electoral
lists. More than 1,000 future women leaders received training,
and the percentage of women candidates in municipal elections
increased from 46 percent in 1999 to 56 percent in 2004.
Governance Institutions
USAID supports good governance in Africa by convening a conference for
chiefs and traditional leaders.
Photo: USAID/Sudan
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For more than a quarter-century after Kenya's independence, the National Assembly remained a weak and neglected branch of government. By 1999, political support for an independent Parliament led to the passage of the Parliamentary Service Commission (PSC) Act, a watershed moment in Kenya's political history. With the Act, the legislature took a definitive step away from executive control by establishing its own independent staffing and administrative structures. To encourage further reforms, USAID began providing direct support to the Parliament beginning in 2000. Following an assessment of Parliament and the development of a 12-year plan, USAID has helped Parliament in several ways: organizing bi-annual budget and finance workshops for committees members, hosting study tours, providing Parliament access to expertise from private sector and civil society, creating forums for linking members of Parliament (MP) and the government of Kenya, and conducting training of staff to serve MPs and Committees. USAID has also helped three committees develop work plans, which Parliament is now implementing. Despite working in a highly politicized environment, USAID has gained the trust and confidence of the new Parliament, a development that provides USAID with a firm platform to implement further interventions to strengthen the legislature. An external evaluation of the program conducted in June 2004 concluded that USAID has done a "very good to excellent" job in fulfilling the objectives set forth in the original program. There are now more players engaged in influencing the budget process, bills are routinely subjected to more amendments than at any other time in the history of Parliament, Parliament regularly summons ministers to explain certain actions, and staff and interns have been trained and are now providing MPs with back up support.
Under the USAID/Namibia legislative strengthening program that concluded in late 2004, the Namibian Parliament increased its competency to conduct parliamentary business with confidence. Legislative staff and MPs increased their capacity to: adopt rules and revise procedures to operate a functioning committee system, hold public hearings at the national and regional levels, maintain a well-used parliamentary research center and an interactive Web site, and review the national budget and analyze legislation. As a result, the national budget process has become more transparent with an increased level and rigor of debate in both houses of Parliament as reflected in media reports. MPs are more capable of making procedural and technical challenges to the positions adopted by the Executive and majority party. The National Council is using its constitutional powers to review proposed legislation with greater independence, as seen by some of the bills being sent back to the National Assembly for reconsideration. The Parliament has been making substantive changes to the bills proposed by the executive branch more frequently; and interactions between informed citizens and their representatives are on the rise, contributing to changes in the proposed legislation.
Revised Law Speeds Justice for Thousands
USAID supports legal reform in Europe and Eurasia. Supreme Court
President Asim Jaganjac. Photo: USAID/B-H
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Recently, a 68-year-old retiree residing in Bosnia-Herzegovina's Federation entity (FBiH), saw her application for pension benefits rejected by the Pension Bureau. Normally, her case would proceed to the Supreme Court where it would languish for more than five years before seeing judicial action. However, because of revisions to the Law on Administrative Disputes, her legal challenge to the Bureau's decision was filed in Cantonal Court where it will be heard before the end of the year. Prior to the revisions, it was not uncommon for cases to outlive the persons who filed them! USAID's innovative Administrative Law and Procedural Systems (ALPS) Project in FBiH has helped to change the laws in the country so administrative disputes can be more efficiently resolved. As in all countries, administrative disputes in the Federation—everything from tax appeals to appeals of decisions on medical benefits—affect huge segments of the population and dwarf in volume both criminal and private civil claims combined. It is in the area of administrative law that ordinary citizens experience the state's commitment (or not) to the rule of law. USAID's ALPS team contributed provisions to the Law on Administrative Disputes that will reduce the time during which parties await resolution of their suits and support reduction in the massive backlog of cases currently on the shelves of its Supreme Court, where such disputes were lodged.
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