|
Supporters for democracy in Burma hold a candlelight vigil in New Delhi, India. AP Photo/Gurinder Osan |
The U.S. Government supports just and democratic governance for three distinct but related reasons: as a matter of principle; as a contribution to U.S. national security; and as a cornerstone of our broader development agenda. Governments that accept the twin principles of majority rule and individual rights, respond to the needs of their people, and govern by rule of law, are more likely to conduct themselves responsibly toward other nations. Effective and accountable democratic states are also best able to promote broad-based and sustainable prosperity. The U.S. Government goal is to promote and strengthen effective democracies and assist countries in moving along a continuum toward democratic consolidation. Our programs encompass the strategic priority areas of rule of law and human rights, good governance, political competition and consensus-building, and civil society.
| State Operations |
Foreign Assistance |
Total |
|---|---|---|
| $.550 billion | $2.132 billion | $2.65 billion |
Rule of Law and Human Rights: Activities in this area advance and protect human and individual rights as embodied in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and international conventions to which states are signatories, and promote societies in which the state and its citizens are accountable to laws that are publicly promulgated, equally enforced, and independently adjudicated, consistent with international norms and standards.
The indicator below monitors improved court case management as reported by 21 country programs. Improved court case management leads to a more effective judicial system by decreasing case backlog and case disposition time, reducing administrative burdens on judges, increasing transparency of judicial procedures and improving compliance with procedural law. The target for 2007 was not met due to lower than expected results in Colombia, which comprises 50 percent of the overall 2007 target. The U.S. Government program in Colombia will not emphasize this indicator in the future, as it does not accurately capture the program's focus, which evolved to be more closely aligned with enhanced training and technical assistance for justice sector actors, increased public access to justice, and stronger law enforcement capabilities. The 2008 and 2009 targets for this indicator have been adjusted accordingly.
| Performance Indicator | 2005 Results |
2006 Results |
2007 Target |
2007 Results |
2007 Rating |
2008 Target |
2009 Target |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of U.S. Assisted Courts with Improved Case Management | N/A | N/A | 610 | 350 |  |
477 | 500 |
Good Governance: Assistance in this area promotes democratic institutions that are effective, responsive, sustainable, and accountable to the people and which include institutional checks and balances. Constitutional order, legal frameworks, and judicial independence constitute the foundation for a well-functioning society, but they remain hollow unless the host government has the capacity to apply these tools appropriately.
For example, Egypt is a key U.S. partner in the Middle East and political reform and modernization of the Egyptian judiciary is critical to promoting good governance and the expansion of civil liberties for the entire region. Women have traditionally had unequal access to government forums, restraining their potential contributions to good governance, economic and social development. However, in 2007, the Government of Egypt appointed its first 30 women judges, a major accomplishment of U.S. Government assistance in this area.
The World Bank's Government Effectiveness indicator highlighted below measures the quality of a country's public service provisions, the independence of the civil service from political pressures, and the credibility of the government's commitment to public policy. The countries that receive the majority of U.S. Government funding in this area, Iraq, Egypt, Jordan, West Bank and Gaza (WB/Gaza), and Lebanon, are tracked by this long-term indicator. Although annual results are reported for this indicator, annual targets are not set due to its long-term nature. This indicator uses a scoring scale for each country from -2.5 to 2.5 (higher average values equal higher quality of governance).
| Performance Indicator | 2005 Results |
2006 Results |
2007 Results (Baseline) |
2015 Target |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of Targeted Countries with an Increase in Government Effectiveness | N/A | N/A | Iraq: -1.7 Egypt: -0.41 Jordan: 0.19 WB/Gaza: -1.11 Lebanon: -0.45 |
Significant improvement in at least 3 of these 5 countries |
Political Competition and Consensus-Building: Programs in this area encourage the development of transparent and inclusive electoral and political processes and democratic, responsive, and effective political parties. The U.S. Government seeks to promote consensus-building among government, political parties, and civil society to advance a common democratic agenda, especially where fundamental issues about the democratization process have not yet been settled.
The indicator below highlights the performance of ten U.S. Government-assisted country programs that focus on one aspect of promoting credible and fair elections. Because the indicator measures persons trained in preparation for deployment as observers before or during a national election, targets and results are greatly influenced by the number of elections in a given year. Lower results in 2007 and lower targets in 2008 and 2009 are partially due to the lack of cooperation by the electoral commission in Nigeria, leading to a suspension of program funding in Nigeria by the U.S. Government.
| Performance Indicator | 2005 Results |
2006 Results |
2007 Target |
2007 Results |
2007 Rating |
2008 Target |
2009 Target |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of Domestic Election Observers Trained with U.S. Assistance | N/A | N/A | 57,825 | 53,258 |  |
27,536 | 30,000 |
Civil Society: The U.S. Government seeks to strengthen democratic political culture and citizen engagement by supporting the means through which citizens can freely organize, advocate, and communicate with members of their own and other governments, international bodies and other elements of civil society. This includes supporting civic participation and access to information, including media freedom and a broadly functioning independent and open media sector, including the internet.
A vibrant civil society serves as the conscience of a country and a counterweight to non-democratic tendencies. The 2007 performance results below highlight U.S. Government-assisted civil society organizations (CSO) in 20 countries, one of those being Honduras. During 2007, U.S.-assisted CSOs in Honduras supported implementation of a new Civil Procedure Code, publicly defended previous electoral reforms, engaged citizens in anticorruption campaigns, and implemented civic values lessons in public schools, all of which should result in a stronger democratic culture and wider citizen participation in government.
| Performance Indicator | 2005 Results |
2006 Results |
2007 Target |
2007 Results |
2007 Rating |
2008 Target |
2009 Target |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of U.S. Assisted CSOs that Engage in Advocacy and Watchdog Functions | N/A | N/A | 823 | 1,039 |  |
1,223 | 1,300 |
