Transition Initiatives
The USAID Office of Transition Initiatives supports U.S. foreign policy objectives by helping local partners advance peace and democracy in priority countries in crisis. Seizing critical windows of opportunity, OTI works on the ground to provide fast, flexible, short-term assistance targeted at key political transition and stabilization needs.
Since 1994, OTI, part of USAID’s Bureau for Democracy, Conflict, and Humanitarian Assistance, has laid the foundation for long-term development in thirty-one conflict-prone countries by promoting reconciliation, jumpstarting local economies, supporting nascent independent media, and fostering peace and democracy through innovative programming. In countries undergoing a transition from authoritarianism to democracy, violent conflict to peace, or pivotal political events, initiatives serve as catalysts for positive political change. OTI programs are short-term -- typically, two to three years in duration. OTI works closely with regional bureaus, missions and other counterparts to identify programs that complement other assistance efforts and lay a foundation for longer-term development. OTI programs often are initiated in fragile states that have not reached the stability needed to initiate longer-term development programs. OTI strategies and programs are developed and designed to meet the unique needs of each situation.
Recent Highlights and Successes
|
|
|
Kenya - Kenya Burning: Never Forget, Never Again - March 2009
To coincide with the first anniversary of Kenya's peace accord, the GoDown Arts Center, supported by OTI, compiled an array of dramatic pictures as a unique testimonial record of the violence that befell the country after the 2007 election, publishing these images in a book and creating a travelling exhibition for Kenyans to see and experience.
Read More >>
|
|
|
|
Nepal - Supporting the Constitution-Writing Process in Nepal - March 2009
To increase transparency and public knowledge of Nepal’s constitution as it is being drafted by the Constituent Assembly, OTI grants helped establish a media resource center, install an internal broadcasting system, and create a constitutional resource center.
Read More >>
|
|
|
|
Lebanon - Vocational Training Helps Youths Find Jobs in Akkar - March 2009
In the economically depressed Akkar region of northern Lebanon, the Women's Charity League—with a grant from OTI—is offering the next generation of Alawite, Christian, and Sunni children a chance to learn a practical profession.
Read More >>
|
|
