USAID Impact Photo Credit: USAID and Partners

Tag archives for Security

Cote d’Ivoire Election to Mark Turning Point After Years of Healing From Conflict

A local elections official in Duékoué, Côte d’Ivoire, explains the tabulation of votes from a previous election. Ahead of next week's presidential election, USAID's Office of Transition Initiatives has implemented activities focused on capacity-building of electoral institutions, improved access to credible information, increased inter-community dialogue, and widespread community mobilization and engagement in the electoral process. / Kendra Helmer, USAID

The upcoming Oct. 25 presidential election in Côte d’Ivoire is the first since the disastrous election in 2010. USAID’s Office of Transition Initiatives has been working with communities to move toward reconciliation ahead of this critical moment.

Read the rest of this entry »

Why Institution Building in the West Bank is Critical for a Palestinian State

Mara Rudman, AA for Middle East, recently spoke on a panel about U.S. support to Palestinian institution building at the 2013 American Israel Public Affairs Committee Policy Conference. Read more >>

Read the rest of this entry »

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 […]

Read the rest of this entry »

Ask the Expert: Enrique Roig, Coordinator for Central America Regional Security Initiative (CARSI) at USAID

We interviewed Enrique Roig from our Latin America and Caribbean Bureau to discuss his work on citizen security in Central America. Can you describe the security situation in Central America? Violence levels in Central America are among the highest in the world – there are an estimated 900 gangs with a total of 70,000 members in […]

Read the rest of this entry »

Mobilizing the U.S. Government to Protect and Empower Women and Girls

In October 2010, I was honored to be at the UN Security Council meeting where Secretary of State Clinton announced that the United States would prepare its own National Action Plan to implement commitments on Women, Peace and Security.   Having served on the UN Civil Society Advisory Group on Resolution 1325 and as an adviser […]

Read the rest of this entry »

Shared Values, Shared History: Administrator Shah Visits West Point

Today, Dr. Shah travels to West Point for the first time a sitting USAID Administrator has visited the Academy.  His visit comes just over a year since President Obama elevated development on par with defense and diplomacy and one week before Veterans Day, offering an opportunity to highlight the importance of development to national security […]

Read the rest of this entry »

A Comprehensive Approach to Yemen

This originally appeared on  The White House Blog On Friday, U.S. officials participated in a meeting of the Friends of Yemen in New York, marking an important occasion to coordinate international support for Yemen. The meeting also provides a good opportunity to discuss the United States’ comprehensive approach to assist Yemen. Much of the press […]

Read the rest of this entry »

Why Security Matters in Developing Africa

Submitted by Sharon Cromer Today I had the opportunity to take part in a panel on Africa’s role in world security at the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation Conference. Security is a required precursor to development. You cannot attain economic growth, better health and education, and good governance without it. But while the number of armed […]

Read the rest of this entry »

Aiding Agriculture after Conflict

Today we launched the Food, Agribusiness, and Rural Markets (FARM) Program, an innovative and promising partnership with the Government of South Sudan to rebuild capacity in the “green belt zone,” where conflict destroyed much local agricultural production during Sudan’s civil war.  This area has high potential and, with new road construction, will be connected to […]

Read the rest of this entry »

From the Dust of Darfur to the Green Shoots of Democracy

Welcome to my debut in the brave new world of blogging at USAID. We’ve made the most of our time during Dr. Shah’s first Africa trip as the head of this amazing agency; only in the home stretch have I found a few minutes to share an observation or two. With impressions still intense from […]

Read the rest of this entry »