The FIRST project has used a variety of tools to improve citizens’ trust in the Ministry of Finance. FIRST created a comic book with a superhero character named Tunman to raise schoolchildren’s awareness of why the government needs to raise taxes to pay for public services and why it is a civic duty of citizens to…
Jem has been involved in public sector reform in the Philippines for the past 2 decades in various capacities as a government official, a consultant and staff for institutions including the Millennium Challenge Corporation, the World Bank and USAID. In his roles, he helped introduce reforms in tax policy and tax administration including the design…
Author’s Note: We drafted this blog post and scheduled it to publish before the killing of George Floyd and the ensuing protests for justice and reform. Our original intention was to highlight the importance of security sector reform (SSR) work for international development programs. We believe that the recent events in the United States related…
As chief of party for the USAID Digital Liberia and e-Government project, Vicki Cooper led efforts to strengthen Liberia’s health, education, and economic growth sectors through enhanced information, communication, and technology capabilities in the aftermath of the Ebola epidemic. 1. How can the global development community use lessons learned from the Ebola crisis in Liberia…
Ahmed Al Khameri is the Team Leader for the FCDO-funded programme, The Yemen Support Fund. Previously, he was Programme Director for the FCDO-funded Yemen Peacebuilding Program – Josoor, a four-year program to resolve local conflict and enhance social cohesion. Ahmed also served as a project manager for the FCDO’s Syria Education Program, Manahel. Prior to…
Mohammad Youssef is an expert in information security with 15 years of experience across the Middle East region and in conflict environments, including Syria, Turkey, Egypt, and Algeria with a variety of local and international companies in different sectors. He currently leads implementation in Syria to provide modern education support, stabilization, counter-violent extremism, and governance…
Based in Beirut, Alex Fischer is a conflict and stabilization professional serving as the Regional Representative for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region in Chemonics’ U.K. Division. Alex brings nearly a decade of experience living, studying, and working in the Middle East, including in Syria, Iraq, Lebanon, Jordan, and Turkey, where he has…
Artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) is an important economic activity in many rural areas, with a long tradition in Colombia. High rates of informality undermine governance, security, and legal economies, and cause significant environmental and social impacts. As the government of Colombia consolidates post-conflict conditions, the United States and Switzerland are providing assistance through…
In Vietnam, economic growth is transforming urban provinces into hubs of innovation. Meanwhile, rural provinces have yet to catch up. To bridge this gap, local government officials must have the ideas, skills, and resources needed to lead their own economies into the future. The USAID Strengthening Provincial Capacity activity equips three Vietnamese institutions from the…
Somalia faces heightened public scrutiny as its government manages $92 million of E.U. budget support while striving to meet International Monetary Fund performance benchmarks. Its ability to adopt sound fiscal policy and improve financial governance will determine its eligibility for debt relief. At this critical juncture, the Federal Parliament of Somalia must strengthen its financial…