When a country commits to democratic reforms, citizens win. Robust evidence links democracy to improved development outcomes. Democracies deliver public goods at higher rates than non-democracies, and they do so more equitably.
Secretary of State Blinken and USAID Administrator Power launched USAID’s Democracy Delivers Initiative at the 2022 UN General Assembly with the conviction that when a country experiences a promising democratic opening—when there’s an opportunity to enact democratic reforms, strengthen transparency and the rule of law, and advance human rights and development—we need to help its government, civil society, and citizens seize the moment.
A fundamental insight has underpinned the Democracy Delivers Initiative since its launch: supporting democratic reform cannot be the responsibility of government alone. Over the past year, the U.S. Government has worked in coalition with bilateral and multilateral partners and with leaders in philanthropy, civil society, and the business community to help reformers demonstrate a democratic dividend for their citizens.
Together, we have begun to reset citizen expectations by providing farmers access to scarce fertilizer; making childbirth safer for expectant mothers; expanding entrepreneurs’ access to training, finance, and markets; building climate resilient food systems; and all the while, helping governments serve their citizens more efficiently and communicate with them more effectively.
The Democracy Delivers Commitment to Action represents the next phase of this partnership. It reflects a shared conviction that when the global community comes together to support local actors across government, civil society and the private sector driving democratic progress, the wins multiply. And it recognizes the advantages of a partnership among diverse sectors – development organizations, foundations, corporations – working with complementary tools toward the common goal of advancing human dignity. At moments of democratic opportunity, philanthropies can leverage deep knowledge and relationships with local actors to bolster citizen engagement and accelerate change, while the private sector can help reformist leaders produce economic dividends through investments in transparent, rules-based markets.
