Today, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and USAID Administrator Samantha Power, in partnership with the Ford Foundation and the Rockefeller Foundation, convened more than a dozen philanthropic and private sector partners to announce investments totaling more than $255 million to deliver essential services and bring about tangible progress for citizens in countries experiencing democratic openings.
The "Democracy Delivers" event, held on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, highlighted countries making democratic progress and connected reformist leaders with public, philanthropic, and private sector resources. By convening leaders from government, philanthropy, and business who are committed to supporting democratic reformers, USAID is galvanizing partnerships of thought and action to advance democratic progress and deliver better lives and livelihoods around the world.
The Democracy Delivers Initiative was launched in 2022 by Secretary Blinken and Administrator Power to bring together partners across sectors that can surge resources to countries undergoing moments of democratic renewal to maximize the likelihood that their democratic gains endure. Today, they were joined by leaders from USAID's first cohort of Democracy Delivers countries - Armenia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Malawi, Maldives, Moldova, Nepal, Tanzania, and Zambia - to discuss new and creative ways to channel resources that will support reformers and citizens in their countries who are building democracies that deliver for all.
As part of the U.S. government's commitment to protecting and strengthening democracy around the world, the United States pledged over $145 million, including more than $35 million in new funding through USAID toward the Democracy Delivers cohort of countries to support job growth, green energy expansion, supply chain integration, economic stabilization, democratic governance, accountable public financial management, local leader empowerment, and more. Additionally, the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) announced nearly $110 million to support new-private sector-led projects that will boost investment in small businesses and sustainable transportation in Nepal.
In total, philanthropic and private sector partners made commitments totaling more than $110 million to support Democracy Delivers countries and the broader goal of galvanizing democratic openings. As anchor partners for the Democracy Delivers 2023 event, The Ford Foundation committed $20 million in new grants to support civic engagement in Moldova and Zambia, and to advance the work of democracy-oriented actors in Tanzania and Nepal, and The Rockefeller Foundation committed up to approximately $28 million to benefit the Democracy Delivers cohort through rural electrification, climate resilience, food security, and more.
Additionally, the following foundations announced investments supporting Democracy Delivers countries and objectives: The Chandler Foundation, The Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, Google.org, Humanity United, The International Chamber of Commerce, The Mott Foundation, The David and Lucile Packard Foundation, The Skoll Foundation, The Tent Partnership for Refugees, The Tinker Foundation, The UPS Foundation, The Vodafone Foundation, and WINGS. The commitments include the further expansion of USAID's successful m-mama partnership with the Vodafone Foundation, and investments to strengthen health systems, support skills training, improve access to jobs and markets, empower youth and local civil society leaders, and enhance transparency, access to justice, and civic space.
The United States is dedicated to ensuring that democracy delivers for all. By prioritizing responsiveness to citizen needs and enhancing transparency and accountability, these commitments will strengthen government reform efforts and facilitate improvements to public services, including through inclusive and locally-led decision making.
