Colombia’s 52-year conflict has debilitated some its rural areas, where the topography is difficult, the road infrastructure minimal, and the state presence weak. Negligible state presence in these areas has allowed illegally armed groups to form and narco-trafficking activities to proliferate, afflicting populations with high levels of poverty and violence. In the absence of effective,…
An effective criminal justice system indiscriminately provides citizens with access to justice, promotes equality and demonstrates impartiality, maintains timely and efficient processes, combats the impunity of human rights violators, fosters citizens’ independence and responsibility, and earns the public’s trust. In the Dominican Republic, 20 years of justice reform and modernization efforts have led to some…
Afghan women face a number of obstacles to working in the government, including widely held beliefs that women should stay at home and out of public workspaces. To counter these views, the USAID Promote: Women in Government project focused on increasing women’s participation in decision-making roles in Afghanistan’s government. One-year internship programs for female high…
The USAID Afghanistan Public Financial Management project aimed to improve the government of Afghanistan’s ability to manage its long-term revenue generation and spending, taxes, and other domestic financial activities. This project’s success depended on ensuring that the Afghan government maintains its ability to deliver essential services to citizens and its ability to repay loans. To…
The Society for International Development-Washington Chapter (SID-Washington) announced today that Chemonics Managing Director for Ethics and Risk Management Melissa Logan has been elected to a three-year term as Chair of SID-Washington’s board of directors. With a broad membership, SID-Washington is one of the development community’s most influential and inclusive organizations. Prior to Ms. Logan’s election…
Aysha*, a young woman in the West Bank, had nowhere to turn in a moment of crisis. Her marriage had begun to disintegrate. Tension between Aysha and her husband initially seemed to stem from normal relationship issues, but it escalated into gender-based violence (GBV). Desperate to salvage her marriage and protect herself, she sought counsel…
The Capacity Development for Partners of Accountability Program, referred to as Pamoja Twajenga, meaning “Together We Build” in Kiswahili, supported select Tanzanian civil society organizations (CSOs) and government of Tanzania Institutions of Accountability (IOAs) with timely technical assistance enabling them to provide sustainable and significant impact as advocates in their respective sectors. With Pamoja Twajenga’s…
It makes intuitive sense at many levels: power and politics matter. We know this to be true in our own hometowns, organizations, or governments: different formal and informal alliances, power imbalances, and motivators — stemming from kinship or affinity, party politics, economic interests, cultural ties, race and gender relations, and other informal systems — determine…
Why is social inclusion important for the development of Kosovo? Kosovo declared its independence in 2008 and as a new country has made significant progress towards consolidating its institutions. Social inclusion is a particularly important element to consider during the development and consolidation of the new country’s institutions and systems in order to ensure long-term…
This post originally appeared on The Atlantic Council. Many governance experts see decentralization as a potential model to mitigate political and sectarian challenges in Syria, Libya, and Iraq and improve livelihoods in those countries by restoring basic services to local populations. But in countries with a long history of absolute control, central government officials frequently…