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Strategic Objective
Encourage Democratic Governance as a Force for Stability, Peace, and Prosperity
Strategic Objective
Overview
The United States supports the expansion of democracy abroad because countries with freely elected, accountable governments contribute to a freer, more prosperous, and peaceful world. Democracies are our strongest partners on security, trade, energy, and the environment, in peace and conflict. Our support for democratic ideals supplies a lifeline for individuals striving for change, and is our greatest strength in combating violent extremism. Democratic governments work with the United States to build consensus and solve problems on the global stage. Their respect for the pluralism of ideas, inclusiveness, and vibrant civil societies leads to innovation and entrepreneurship that benefits all.
The United States works to promote and institutionalize the foundations of democratic accountability around the world – free and fair electoral processes, strong legislatures, rights-respecting constitutions and legal frameworks, civilian control of militaries, a vibrant private sector, and a robust civil society with independent NGOs and labor unions, and a free and independent media – online and off. Democratic accountability also requires accountable civilian police, independent and fair judiciaries, commitment to proactively investigate and prosecute human rights violators, including human traffickers, and humane corrections systems. Through diplomacy and development, we seek to end impunity and foster greater accountability of institutions and leaders to the people and the law. We promote fiscal transparency to improve accountability and citizens’ understanding of economic governance and fiscal policy choices. We encourage governments to pursue anti-corruption measures and thereby build accountability and support for democracy.
The United States works to build and sustain the capacity for all members of society, including women and under-represented groups, to participate fully in the democratic process and in the strengthening of democratic institutions. We encourage consensus building, and we promote the right of individuals, NGOs, and other civil society organizations to peacefully exercise their rights of expression, association, and assembly.
We support the leadership of emerging democracies as they assume a more active role in advancing basic human rights and democratic values in their regions and globally. In nascent or fragile democracies, we support governments and civil society as they build and strengthen institutions necessary for democratic development, rule of law, and delivery of tangible improvements for their people. And in closed or restrictive societies, we support civil society, particularly human rights defenders and independent media.
The State Department and USAID work in concert with those seeking democratic outcomes and make clear that we cannot have the same close relationship with those who deny their own people’s voice. We will make clear that all people should have a say in how they are governed, that governments should be the collective power of the citizenry, and that leaders draw their legitimacy from those they govern. And we will emphasize the importance of including all members of society regardless of race, ethnicity, religion, gender, caste, disability, or sexual orientation. We reaffirm our commitment to encourage democratic governance as a force for stability, peace, and prosperity.
Strategies for Achieving the Objective
Only the people of a nation can truly bring about sustainable democracy. U.S. senior officials engage publicly and privately with citizens in countries eager for progress and those burdened by non-democratic forms of governance. The U.S. government pushes back on attempts to dismantle democratic institutions, and works with like-minded governments such as: the United Nations (UN), particularly the Human Rights Council; the UN General Assembly Third (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural Affairs) Committee; and the UN Special Rapporteurs. The U.S. government also engages regional mechanisms such as the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe and Organization of American States; and intergovernmental organizations like the Community of Democracies to advance democratic ideals and to deter backsliding by governments. Working with U.S. implementers and directly with local non-governmental organizations (NGOs), U.S. programs build the capacity of government institutions and officials pressing for democratic progress and transparency, and empower citizens and NGOs. The U.S. government works to ensure that civil society continues to demand government accountability, transparency, and services, and engages in their respective political systems. The U.S. government promotes fiscal transparency to improve accountability and citizens’ understanding of economic governance and fiscal policy choices. The U.S. government supports rigorous program evaluations to identify promising, effective democratization strategies and to conduct needs assessments and other research to guide program decisions. U.S. rapid response funds and flexible foreign assistance funding mechanisms allows the United States to intercede as unforeseen backsliding or opportunities arise.
Many factors could affect achievement of these goals. Democratic progress can take decades, and setbacks are common. It is difficult to quantify our impact in accomplishing our diplomatic objectives or our medium to longer-term programmatic impact, because success may not be apparent for years and is often the result of the efforts by many contributors. There will be voices that challenge and impede our multilateral democracy and human rights efforts.
In the short-term, authoritarian non-rights-respecting governments may oppose the U.S. public stance or describe U.S. engagement with opposition parties or civil society as interference. These governments may balk at democracy-building measures and threaten to delay agreements or progress on other priorities, be they security, political, or economic priorities. Consistent engagement is necessary for success.
Read Less...Progress Update
The Department of State pursues democratic institution-building priorities around the world. The Department continues work to strengthen constituent- and rights-based democratic institutions wherever they are under assault or in formation—continuing and expanding efforts with the Community of Democracies and with the Open Government Partnership. The Department also continues to support civil society partners’ efforts to build sustainable democratic institutions through its Human Rights Democracy Fund.
Recognizing the influential role women can play in society as peace-builders, the Department provided diplomatic support and capacity-building to women leaders to enhance their engagement in conflict prevention and stabilization efforts. The Department invested in building the capacity of women leaders and civil society to prevent and mediate conflict as well as participate in transitional justice processes. This work includes: (1) encouraging women to engage in truth and reconciliation commissions; (2) supporting networks of women to speak out against violent extremism; (3) training women to recognize the signs of radicalization to violence; and (4) mediating conflict within their communities to reduce violence.
To help realize its mission statement, USAID continues to explore the relationship of good governance to eradicating extreme poverty, focusing on issues such as land rights, conflict management and mitigation, service delivery, reaching marginalized populations, sustainable local government systems, and overall empowerment and rights-based approaches. USAID is also working to promote the inclusion in the democratic process of underrepresented groups, such as religious and ethnic minorities, persons with disabilities, rural women and lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) groups. The Department supports these groups by funding programs which impart critical advocacy, organizational, and legal skills to navigate closed societies globally.
Progress towards tolerance and inclusiveness often involve changes in existing discriminatory legislation or blocking passage of new discriminatory legislation. U.S. foreign assistance programs support the establishment of effective institutions, legislation, and justice systems. U.S. programs also include sensitivity training for the “dominant” population about the issues of marginalized populations. This training includes capacity-building of marginalized populations to better advocate for their basic human rights and intergroup dialogue and exchanges.
In the interest of integrating democracy, human rights and governance across programming, USAID provides seed funding to “Integration Champions”–– Angola, Mail, Paraguay, Senegal, and Ukraine. Funding includes financial and technical assistance to establish meaningful integration as models. Ultimately, these models will reflect the full program cycle. These missions are at different stages of integration. Therefore, USAID’s current effort includes design and implementation.
A New Deal for Engagement in Fragile States:
The United States is a member of the International Dialogue on Peacebuilding and Statebuilding (“the Dialogue”) and co-chairs the Implementation Working Group. The Dialogue is comprised of the G7 group of 20 self-identified fragile states, development partners, and international organizations, who are committed to working together through the New Deal for Engagement in Fragile States. This is a new development architecture to partner for peaceful transitions out of fragility that emphasizes political legitimacy and inclusivity to address the challenges of fragile contexts. Ultimately it’s necessary to build more peaceful states and societies. USAID is supporting this process by playing a critical leadership role on the implementation of the New Deal for Engagement in Fragile States, which is currently being piloted in several key pilot countries.
In Liberia, before the Ebola outbreak, USAID provided support to increase transparency of donor funds. USAID and the World Bank of the Ministry of Public Works conducted a joint public financial management risk assessment. This effort supported the Government of Liberia to conduct periodic risk assessments as part of their monitoring process. Moving forward in Liberia, the principles of the New Deal prioritize investing in key peacebuilding and statebuilding goals, including strengthening country systems. These will play an important role in aligning donor priorities and engaging with the Government of Liberia. USAID and the Department developed an Integrated Country Strategy that aligns with the New Deal Framework in Somalia. Additionally, USAID is currently formulating a stabilization strategy that will align with key priorities articulated in the Peacebuilding and Statebuilding Goals. USAID provides technical assistance to the Aid Coordination Unit, which assists the Federal Government of Somalia to more effectively coordinate development assistance.
Economic transparency is a key element of durable democracies. The Fiscal Transparency Innovation Fund (FTIF) was created in FY 2012 to support government and civil society organization efforts to improve budget transparency. Transparent government budgets help ensure that public resources are spent in an effective manner that prioritizes accountability, open government, and the needs of the populace. Since 2012, the FTIF has provided nearly $10 million to enhance fiscal transparency regimes, advance best practices in public financial management, and improve public management of natural resources.
The FTIF has supported projects such as Treasury Department technical assistance to sub-Saharan African governments, launching and maintenance of government websites for sharing budget documents with the public, training civil society organizations on effective means of monitoring and engaging on public spending, and adoption of international best practices for supreme audit institutions. For example, on October 1, the Minister of Finance in Chad launched a website whose development was financed by FTIF. This website makes Chad’s national budget and other key fiscal information easily available to the public for the first time. In Vietnam, the Fund supported technical assistance to the Ministry of Finance and the National Assembly to revise the State Budget Law. This helped update legal language that had impeded institutionalizing good fiscal transparency practices at all levels of government. The FTIF will continue to support government and civil society efforts to improve fiscal transparency in FY 2015.
