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| >> Regional Overview >> Democracy, Conflict and Humanitarian Assistance Overview | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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THE DEVELOPMENT CHALLENGE: Central to any discussion of international development are the needs of societies that are emerging from or sliding into conflict, or are in the throws of complex emergencies. Whether eruptions of violence are religious, ethnic, economic, territorial, or political in origin, the failure of state institutions to manage internal struggles over political power and economic resources has an incalculable human and capital cost. Decades are sometimes needed to rebuild and restore development progress. As the number of crises worldwide continues to mount, USAID and other donor organizations must be able to move quickly and effectively to meet the transition challenges they face. In such environments, the line between "pre" and "post" conflict has become increasingly blurred as countries find themselves trapped in cycles of violence where the root causes are never fully addressed. These conflicts result in high levels of citizen insecurity, stalled democratic development, displacement of people, interruption of economic and agricultural cycles, and in many cases, heightened regional tensions. There is an increased demand to help countries in transition and crisis promote national reconciliation, build open democratic and participatory processes, and broaden access to economic, political, and natural resources. The Office of Transition Initiatives (OTI) was created originally to address those situations where the nature of governance shifted from authoritarian rule to more open societies. In recent years "transition" has become a more porous concept. OTI defines transition as including countries moving from war to peace, making the turn from civil conflict to national reconciliation, or where political strife has not yet erupted into violence and the possibility exists to prevent or mitigate conflict and broaden democratic participation. Working closely with local, national, international, and non-governmental partners, OTI carries out short-term, high-impact projects that increase momentum for peace, reconciliation, and reconstruction. There are no formulaic responses; rather, strategies are tailored to meet the unique needs of each transition situation and changing conditions are quickly reflected in new or modified strategies. Because OTI possesses special programming flexibility, it can put staff on the ground swiftly to identify and act on what are often fleeting opportunities for systemic change. THE USAID PROGRAM:
OTI's strategic objective is to advance successfully political transitions in priority, conflict-prone countries. OTI's three intermediate results are: enhance citizen security; initiate, re-establish, or expand democratic political processes; and improve targeting of OTI interventions. FY 2002 funds will be used to implement OTI programs in Afghanistan, Burundi, Congo (DRC), East Timor, Indonesia, Kosovo, Republic of Macedonia, Nigeria, Peru, Serbia and Montenegro, Sierra Leone, and Zimbabwe. Of these, OTI programs in Indonesia, Kosovo, Nigeria, Peru, and Sierra Leone will be concluded in FY 2002. Zimbabwe will be concluded in early FY 2003. FY 2002 funds will be used also to carry out new programs in response to critical junctures and windows of opportunity. FY 2003 Program: OTI will use $14 million of the FY 2003 request to fund programs in Afghanistan, Burundi, Congo (DRC), Republic of Macedonia, Serbia and Montenegro, and Zimbabwe. OTI will use $41 million to fund new country programs and for program support. OTHER PROGRAM ELEMENTS: See tables directly following this narrative. OTHER DONORS: OTI coordinates closely with other donors in all the countries in which it operates. These include:
Program Summary(in thousands of dollars)
*Funded through the International Disaster Assistance Account |
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Overview
