Somalia has suffered decades of conflict and weak transitional governments, triggered by the collapse of its central government in 1991. These conditions undermine government accountability and hinder trust in state authorities. Since 2012, Somalia has made some progress toward overcoming these challenges, but without local accountability and strong legislative processes, stability remains a distant reality.…
What works in preventing and reducing violence among youth? This report draws on the global evidence base of evaluations of existing interventions designed to reduce or prevent violence and identifies those with the greatest evidence of effectiveness. We find six types of interventions for which there is strong evidence of effectiveness in preventing at-risk individuals…
USAID’s Enhanced Palestinian Justice Program (EPJP), a five-year, $18.2 million program in the West Bank, improved service delivery in the justice sector by strengthening individual and institutional capacities and increasing citizen engagement with and respect for the rule of law. This was addressed by developing justice sector policies and procedures, building the knowledge and skills of justice sector…
From April 2013 to February 2018, USAID/Nicaragua supported 17 Nicaraguan civil society organizations (CSOs) to strengthen their organizational capacity to better advocate for citizens’ demands through the Capacity Building for Civil Society Advocacy (CBCSA) project. This contributed to achieving USAID/Nicaragua’s Development Objective 1 to increase citizens’ ability to engage in democratic governance. It also increased civil society’s capacity to advocate for transparency and accountability, and…
As Category 4 Hurricane Florence barreled toward the Southeast of the United States last week, preliminary damage estimates indicated 758,000 homes across three states could be impacted. Reconstruction costs were estimated at $170.2 billion. Despite the dire forecast and its associated challenges, however, the United States is one of the countries most prepared to respond…
The Open Government Partnership (OGP) is a multilateral initiative launched in 2011 which supports countries in consulting with local civil society to develop national action plans which focus on commitments to reforms that strengthen governance by promoting transparency, empowering citizens, and fighting corruption. The annual OGP Summit in Tbilisi, Georgia, which took place on July…
Garrett Dorer is a former managing director, transitions unit. He served as chief of party of five major initiatives and led global training efforts for Chemonics’ staff worldwide.
Sustainable development requires attention to the multiple dimensions of economic, political, and social complexities, all of which interconnect. We know from our own experience that economic growth leads to changes in society and, thereby, corresponding changes in the relationships among government, private sector, social structures, and institutions. For example, increased international trade is likely to…
Thinking and Working Politically (TWP) is all the buzz these days, with political economy analysis (PEA) being included in tenders, and project designs across sectors. But what does TWP-PEA look like beyond design, as an integral part of implementation? During program design and even start-up, PEAs can provide recommendations while acknowledging context complexities, actors and…
The conflict in Syria has decimated local governance, livelihoods, and access to education. With funding from the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs and other international donors, the Injaz II program assisted children and youth in Northeastern Syria with limited or no access to education since the start of ISIS occupation. Recognizing…
Dzenita Korac is an international development professional with more than 20 years of experience implementing donor-funded projects with a focus on post-conflict countries. Since joining Chemonics in 2003, Dzenita has served in a dozen long-term and short-term roles on projects in Europe, Asia, and Africa and led high-profile corporate initiatives. As senior vice president of…
In response to increasing security challenges worldwide, the international donor community is placing greater emphasis on citizen security programming. Citizen security can be defined as “the process of establishing, strengthening and protecting democratic civic order, eliminating threats of violence in a population and allowing for safe and peaceful coexistence.” As one example, the U.S. government strategy for…