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Tag archives for Democracy
Video of the Week: “Bosnia Moves Forward”
Bosnia and Herzegovina endured a devastating war from 1992-1995. In the aftermath, the country not only underwent post-war reconstruction, but also launched the transition from a Socialist system to a system of democratic governance. As local governments work to overcome the challenges posed by reconstruction, democracy-building, and the global economic downturn, the Governance Accountability Project, [...]
Advancing the Dignity Agenda
One year ago, Administrator Rajiv Shah spoke about expanding human welfare at USAID’s Democracy, Human Rights and Governance 2.0 Forum, recounting the defining story of Mohammed Bouazizi, the young Tunisian fruit seller who set himself on fire, and the inspiring stories of other Tunisians who unwittingly sparked the Arab Spring. Since that speech in June [...]
Building Learning Communities at USAID
John David Smith of Learning Alliances and Nancy White of Full Circle are experts in institutionalizing learning at organizations and authors of Digital Habitats: Stewarding Technology for Communities. Earlier this year, Administrator Shah launched USAID’s new Center of Excellence on Democracy, Human Rights and Governance within the Bureau for Democracy, Conflict and Humanitarian Assistance. The [...]
Democracy, Human Rights and Governance Forum
This week, USAID will be holding our third annual Democracy, Human Rights and Governance Forum at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Washington, DC. The two-day event, June 21-22, will bring together government officials and international experts in the field of democracy, human rights and governance. The theme of this year’s forum is Advancing [...]
Democracy and Development in Sub-Saharan Africa
Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, President of the Republic of Liberia, and Carol Lancaster, Dean of Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Affairs spoke today at USAID’s Frontiers in Development Forum. Below is an excerpt from their contribution to the Frontiers in Development essays. Twenty-five years ago, Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) was a region of despair. Outside of Botswana and Mauritius, democracy [...]
Building Peaceful States Against All Odds: The g7+ Leads the Way
Emilia Pires, Finance Minister of Timor-Leste, Chair of g7+, and Co-Chair of the International Dialogue on Peacebuilding will speak this afternoon at the Frontiers in Development Forum. Below is her contribution to the Frontiers in Development essays. Every morning I am greeted by the local gardener, Guilherme, who busily tends half-broken trees and overgrown bushes, planting seeds in the modicum of [...]
FrontLines: Democracy, Human Rights, and Governance
Read the latest edition of USAID’s premier publication, FrontLines, to learn more about the Agency’s work in democracy, human rights and governance. Some highlights: Last year’s Arab Spring protests are this year’s stepped up march toward democracy for Egyptian and Tunisian citizens Says Youk Chhang, a survivor of Cambodia’s genocide under the Khmer Rouge: “[W]e [...]
From Fragility to Agility
I am in Busan as part of the US Delegation to the 4th High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness. We are meeting in the cavernous Bexco Convention Center, in a city that was heavily bombed 50 years ago and sustained with American humanitarian aid for the recovery years after the Korean War. It is now [...]
South Sudan: The Hopes and Challenges with the Birth of a Nation
Rarely is the juxtaposition between joy and tragedy as stark as it is in the new nation of South Sudan and the changed nation of Sudan. I had the honor to participate in the U.S. presidential delegation witnessing independence day ceremonies in Juba, South Sudan. Along with Ambassador Susan Rice, General Colin Powell, Congressman Donald [...]
